Ruby Face
by Iwillscreamintotheabyss
Summary: An explosion causes a faced mechon to fall from Galahad Fortress. It lands on the Fallen Arm, where it's pilot is welcomed among the Machina. AU in which Shulk dies instead of Fiora
1. 1- The Fall

Ruby face was being stored in face maintenance bay. It had been useful on patrols but would be put in sleep mode until the attacks on Bionis resumed. However, another face nearby was malfunctioning. No one noticed the malfunction until it was too late and it exploded. The explosion was huge and brought down the entire bottom floor of Galahad fortress.

In the explosion, Ruby Face was thrown off the edge and fell to the endless sea. The second strongest mechon ever built was lost because of a small error.

Ruby Face landed near a beach on the fallen arm and drifted to shore. It had somehow not been destroyed upon crashing and had safely floated over to shore. The doors on its chest opened, and a small figure fell out of the cockpit. The faced mechon issued a faint distress signal, too weak to be detected from Galahad fortress.

However, the signal was strong enough to be picked up by Junks' systems. The morning after it was first received, Miquol ordered for a search party to go out and find its source. He warned them to be careful, as it was likely coming from something that had fell from the fortress during the explosion.

The party was on their guard when they found Ruby Face. It was deemed harmless since it was deactivated. They still carefully approached the mechon, but rushed to the side of the collapsed Machina. He was unconscious and still quite young. What it was doing near a face unit was beyond them. He seemed to have no injuries, but was still rushed to Linada.

Linada quickly realised that the person they found was not a Machina, but a Homs who had been modified to become a mechon's nerve system unit. He wouldn't be able to live outside of his face, and she considered it a miracle he had survived this long. He would be fine as long as he stayed on the bed, but she had to get him a piezoelectric unit so he could move around. She sent someone to look for one.

A few hours later, Rizaka returned with the unit. She adapted it to work with the boy's body an inserted it. There were no complications and it was now only a matter of time until he woke up. Hopefully, he would be able to explain what had happened to him, or at least tell his story.

The next morning, Linada turned from her screens as she heard a small sound. She quickly went to her patient, who was waking up.

His eyes fluttered open and he looked around the room. He set his stare on Linada.

"Who?" he muttered quietly, his voice hoarse.

"I am Linada," she replied, "you are safe now. Tell me, what is your name?"

The boy was silent for a moment, "Shulk," he said tentatively, as if he wasn't sure of it himself.

"How are you feeling, Shulk? Are you dizzy? Are you feeling faint?"

"I've been better," he said closing his eyes, "but I've been worse, too." He sat up on the bed and took a better look around the room, "So where am I anyway?"

"I believe it would be better if Miquol, the village chief, explained that to you. Only of course, if you are feeling well enough to go see him."

"As long as it's no too far I should be fine."

"Then let's go."


	2. 2- The Talk

Reyn sighed as he watched the colony from outlook park. He sat on Shulk's spot on the bench. He fiddled with the circular necklace in his hands that had once belonged to his best friend.

"I thought I'd find you here," Fiora said as she plopped down next to him.

They sat in silence as Fiora took the food she'd brought out of her bag and served it. They ate without speaking.

"It's hard to think it's been three months already," Fiora sighed as she put down her thermos.

"Yeah," Reyn agreed, "sometimes, I wake up and I think it was just a dream. I can't believe he's gone. I keep thinking that if I'd done anything differently then maybe he'd still be alive. If I hadn't asked him to collect the ether cylinders with me-"

"There's nothing you could've done, Reyn," Fiora interrupted him. "Shulk is dead and we have to accept that."

There was a long silence, neither of them daring to speak. That day was a blur. They'd gone to collect ether cylinders and odd machines had attacked them. Not too long after, mechon had swarmed the skies. They had rushed to the colony and found Dunban there. They had been cornered by a massive mechon with a face. It had attacked Fiora who was in the mobile artillery. It had been about to kill her when Shulk had thrown his sword at the mechon, diverting its attention from her. It had then lunged for Shulk, too quickly for anyone to react. It had impaled him and then the mechon retreated, flying away with Shulk still mounted on its claws.

"I bet he would still be alive if we had the monado," Ren said quietly.

"We don't even know if it exists," Fiora replied, "and besides, everyone who's gone to look for it has died. If it wasn't for Shulk getting sick right before they were supposed to leave, he and his parents would've died in that expedition, too."

"We should still try," Reyn insisted, "if it does exist it could save us all, make it so no one has to suffer like we did."

"I never expected such talk from you, Reyn, but it does make sense."

"What do you say we go? You and me?"

Fiora was quiet for a moment, carefully choosing her words. "I would go Reyn, if only to make sure you don't hurt yourself. But you have to consider this, you can't just charge in head first and hope for the best."

"We'll plan it out, then. We could take money from what we earn and put it aside. Eventually we'd have enough to go, right?"

Fiora laughed, "We would, and we'd come back alive, with or without the monado."


	3. 3- The Welcome

**Author's notes:** At the end of this chapter will be some replies to the reviews posted in the previous chapters. Also, Karlos and Natalia are NPCs in the hidden village.

Shulk stared wide eyed at Miqol. He had explained everything, about the Machina, the battle of the giants, Egil… It was a little much for him all at once, especially since he was just getting used to the idea of being a mechon.

He couldn't tell if Miqol had noticed his distress or not, but he changed the subject. "Anyway, you're welcome to stay here as long as you like."

"Are you sure?" Shulk didn't understand why they would help him, but since he was a mechon, he belonged on Mechonis now. It was good to know he would have a place to call home in this place, if Miqol was serious.

"Of course!" the chief boasted, "why wouldn't we help you?"

"Thank you," Shulk said quietly, "that means a lot."

He was starting to feel faint, but didn't want to be impolite by ending the conversation suddenly. Thankfully, Linada came to his rescue.

"I'll keep him observation tonight," she said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I'll let you see to the preparation of his home."

"Don't worry, it will be ready by tomorrow," Miqol said as they left the room.

Linada led Shulk back upstairs. He sat on the bed. "The other Homs here," he said, "are they alright?"

"They are all fine," she replied, "they were all saved by the same person: Rakzet. They are considered as part of the village, they are not outsiders."

Shulk was silent, and she hoped that it was reassuring enough. This must be difficult for him. He didn't seem to remember his time as a Face Unit, so this was like waking up after death, literally. He'd said to Miqol earlier that the last thing he really remembered was getting impaled by a Faced Mechon.

"Are you alright with this?" Linada asked after a moment.

"It's going to take awhile," he replied, "but I'll get used to it."

Shulk curled up on the bed, falling asleep almost immediately.

The next morning, he woke up refreshed. He didn't have any of the dizziness he'd had the day before and was ready to meet the people he'd be living with from now on. Linada gave him a flask of water.

"Your body only needs water and ether to function properly," she explained, "so drink up."

Once he was done, she led him outside into the village. It was a circle, about five or six hundred meters wide. However, all of the housing was located in one area, which also seemed to be the area who wasn't covered in water. Machina were going about their daily lives. It was a calm place and Shulk didn't mind. It would be a nice change of pace from the always busy Colony 9, especially considering he'd spent of his time around the military district.

Linada showed him to his new house and gave him the key.

"I need to return to Junks," she said, "feel free to look around the village. I would recommend not leaving it as there are many monsters outside, but if you do stay near the entrance. If you need me, I will be on the second floor of Junks."

"Alright, thank you."

Shulk watched her leave before going into the house. He found it was bigger than he expected. It was separated into four rooms: a main room, with a couch and small table, a bathroom, a small office with a desk and chair and a bedroom. It was comfortable and felt like, well, home. He could get used to this.

He left the house, ready to explore the village and meet the people he'd be living with from now on. The Machina were friendly and all started conversations with him, asking him his name, where he came from and if he was feeling alright. He was grateful for their concern. He spoke with nearly every villager, taking mental notes of who knew who and what was their relationships between each other. He hadn't run into any Homs yet, but he was keeping an eye out for them.

After awhile, he decided to leave the village, but not go far, like Linada had said. Since there were monsters and he was unarmed, it would be stupid to wander off. He talked with those guarding the entrance.

Just as he was about to go back, he saw two Homs coming their way. The guards greeted them and Shulk followed them inside.

"If you don't mind me asking," the woman said, "are you Homs?"

"I'm only part Homs now, but yes, I am," Shulk answered truthfully.

"Hey, I recognise you," the man joined in, "you're Shulk, Elinor and Anson's son."

"Yeah, I am," Shulk replied, surprised. He wondered what the odds were than one of the three Homs who lived on the Fallen arm was a friend of his parents. "I'm afraid I can't remember you name though you remember mine."

"It's fine," the man said, "I only dropped by your house once or twice to get some armour. I'm Karlos."

"And I'm Natalia," the woman added.

The three chatted for awhile, talking about their lives before they ended up in the village. They had all lived in Colony 9 and realised that they'd interacted a few times before.

"Sorry if this sounds weird," Natalia said, "but what's that gold thing on your chest?"

Shulk looked down to see what she was talking about. He hadn't noticed it before. It was a small chest plate with an odd symbol, a triangle with circles in each corner and the plate itself was triangular. "I have no idea," he replied.

"Anyway," Karlos intervened, "we should go, the sun is setting. If you need me I usually hang out around the entrance of the village."

"Alright," Shulk said, "see you around."

As the pair left, he looked up to the sky to see the sun wane, then disappear. Darkness fell over the village as he returned to Junks.

He found Linada on the upper floor, working.

"Hey," he said to announce his presence.

"How was your day?" she asked as she turned to him.

He told her about all the people he'd met and his day in general. She didn't interrupt him, letting him ramble on.

"…and that's about it," he finished.

"That sounds nice," she replied. "Oh, Miqol wanted to see you, you should go to him."

"Right. I have one question though."

"Go on."

"What do you think this is?" he pointed at the triangular chest plate.

"I'm not sure," she muttered as she leaned to get a closer look at it, "I doubt it's only there for decoration. I'll do some research and see if I find something."

"Alright thank you."

Linada turned back to her computer and Shulk headed downstairs to Miqol.

"You wanted to see me?" Shulk asked as he entered the room.

"I did," Miqol replied. "When you were found, you had a pair of blades and sword drones on you. I took them away and I would like to give them back to you."

"Are you sure?" Shulk hadn't even known he'd had weapons, considering he'd dropped his when that mechon had impaled him.

"Yes, it's dangerous outside of the village and I wouldn't want you to get hurt."

Miqol gave the blades and the drones to Shulk. He examined them carefully. The blades were finely crafted, made of the same material as his armour. The drones seemed to be able to attach to his back, but he wasn't sure.

"Getting used to these is going to be interesting," Shulk said.

"How so?" Miqol asked.

"I've never fought with two blades and I've never heard of drones before," Shulk explained.

"Well the drones attach to your back and become a part of you, as for the blades," Miqol mused, "if you let me borrow them for the night, I could arrange you something."

"Of course," Shulk said as he gave the blades back to the chief.

"Come see me tomorrow morning and they'll be ready. In the meantime, you should get some rest, today must've been exhausting."

"I will. See you tomorrow."

Miqol didn't answer and Shulk left. He headed for the house. Once there, he left the drones on the desk of the office, he would figure them out in the morning.

He curled up on the bed and fell asleep. Tomorrow would be an interesting day.

 **Author's notes:**

 **Guest:** Don't worry, Mumkhar's betrayal, the battle of Sword Valley and Melia's wellbeing will all be mentioned later on.

 **Lucario:** I was actually planning on Gadolt and Kallian becoming "party members" as you put it, so they will be appearing and I have ideas for some super bosses (namely the Ancient Deadala and the Avalanche Abaasy). Thank you for the idea with Otharon, I wasn't sure what do with him and I'll make sure to credit you if he does make an appearance as Emerald Face.


	4. 4- The Discovery

**Author's notes:** This chapter is brought to you by the incredible amount of chocolate I got for Christmas, which gave me a reason to sit at my computer instead of spending every waking hour playing Xenoblade Chronicles X. Anyway, enjoy the chapter

The sun filtered through a window and woke up Shulk. He somehow hadn't noticed the window and stretched as he got out of bed. He had to go see Miqol, but he opted to figure out the drones first.

He walked into the office and sat on the chair. The drones were made of three parts, and just like his blades, they were made of the same material as his armour. The smallest part was flat and had a circular pattern at the top of it. The other two parts were symmetrical and had a U shape with gold rays connecting each side.

Shulk laid them out on the desk, the symmetrical parts on the right and left of the smallest part. On their own, the symmetrical parts moved and mounted themselves on the middle one. Shulk stared at them for a moment, wondering what mechanisms were at play. He would figure it out later. He carefully picked up the drones. Miqol had mentioned that he could attach them to his back.

After a few minutes, they came in place with a _click_. Immediately, he felt more like himself. The drones had been a missing part of him and he now felt more complete. He moved around to get a feel for them. When he deemed himself used to their weight, he left the house and headed to Junks.

"There you are," Miqol said as Shulk entered. "I finished the modifications to your blades and I must say that this is some of my best work."

Shulk took the blades. They looked exactly the same as they did the night before. He examined them closely, looking for any differences. When he put both of hilts near each other, they merged together and the blades became a single sword. "Woah," Shulk exclaimed.

"I modified the hilts," Miqol explained, "now the blades can merge and become a single sword."

"That' amazing," Shulk mused.

"It's only a temporary fix," Miqol said, "but it'll do for now. I see you've found out how the drones work."

"More or less," Shulk shrugged, "I'll go test them out along with the sword later today."

"Then go out and test them," Miqol declared, "tell me how it goes."

"I will."

Shulk left and went upstairs to see Linada. He asked her if she'd found out what the triangular plate was for, but she hadn't. He wished her a good day and headed outside.

He quickly dropped by the house to get a flask of water. As he was heading toward the exit of the village, he saw Karlos leaning on the railing.

"Hey," Shulk said.

"Oh, Shulk," Karlos turned to him, "what do you need?"

"I was going out to test out my weapons," he explained, "and I was wondering if you'd like to come along."

"I don't have any plans for today, so I don't see why not," Karlos shrugged. "Besides, you're going to need a guide, the fallen arm can be pretty hard to navigate if you don't know the area."

"Alright then, do you have things you need to grab?"

"No, I'm always carrying my weapon. We can make ourselves some food later on."

"Then let's go."

The pair headed outside, Karlos leading the way. He'd decided to show Shulk the Zakt Spring, since it was where most of the water the Machina drank came from. It was a short walk and they were left alone by the monsters on the way.

Shulk and Karlos filled up their flasks and rested for a bit. They spotted some krabble that would be good to practice on.

They approached them. Shulk started off trying the twin blades. He quickly understood why Fiora had preferred this type of battle. It was fast and much more action-packed. He combined some of the techniques he'd known with the ones he'd seen Fiora and his mother use. At one point, Karlos had toppled the krabble and Shulk quickly combined the blades to use shaker edge. He separated them right after. The motion was seamless. He didn't get a chance to use the drones, but he told himself he would in the next battle.

The pair fought some krabble, flamii and mechon, collecting materials for villagers. Eventually, Shulk saw the perfect opportunity to use the sword drones. He warned Karlos to stand back since he wasn't sure how they would work. They flew out in front of him and separated into four blades, slashing at the monster he was targeting. They hit ten times, then returned to rest on his back. Karlos finished off the enemy before turning to Shulk.

"Those things are amazing," Karlos said.

"I didn't expect them to work so well," Shulk admitted.

They took a break afterwards, Karlos fishing while Shulk examined the blades and the drones. They spent the rest of the day wandering around the Fallen Arm. Karlos pointed out any interesting landmarks, which areas to stay away from and where to collect which kind of ether crystals.

At the end of the day, they returned to the Zakt Spring to get more water. Something caught Shulk's attention and he walked toward it, it was like some invisible force was connecting him to it.

The something turned out to be a massive mechon. It had a sleek design with red armour, which was very different from other mechon. It was kneeling in the sand, it's arms braced against the ground as if it had landed before falling over and catching itself. The chest cavity was empty and the doors to it were open, revealing what seemed to be a cockpit inside.

Shulk could feel it calling to him. Without hesitating, he climbed into the cockpit. The doors closed and he could feel the power of the machine. It came to life, it's engines revving and the lights turning blood red. He willed it to stand and it stood, he willed it to walk and it walked. This mechon was a part of him. He could control it. He knew this was Ruby Face, the Face unit he was built to pilot.

He left the cockpit and stood on the beach, stunned. He could see his reflection in the water. He was covered in red armour. There were black straps of what seemed to be leather across his chest, legs and arms, they were likely holding the armour in place somehow. He had a red headpiece that attached to the back of his head, yet seemed to be floating. There was a band of red going from his neck to under his eye, following the bone structure. He decided he still looked enough like a Homs to be mistaken for one, but quickly pushed the idea aside. He was mechon, he would have to accept it whether he wanted it or not.

Karlos approached him, amazed that he could control that mechon.

"It's getting dark," he said, putting a hand on Shulk's shoulder, "we should head back."

"Yeah," Shulk agreed.

They walked back to the village. He would investigate Ruby Face further the next day. Right now, he had to report back to Miqol about the blades and the drones. He headed to Junks.

"How did it go?" Miqol asked as Shulk walked in.

"The blades work great!" he exclaimed. "They merge and separate seamlessly without interrupting the flow of battle."

"And the drones?"

"I'm going to have to get used to them, but they were easy to figure out."

"Good, good," Miqol said. "I just have to make the merging mechanism more of a permanent fix and your blades will work perfectly."

"They already work fine though."

"That's because the fix I made last night was just temporary; the mechanism will break after so many uses. I'll replace it with something more durable and it should last forever," Miqol explained.

"Could you show me how you do it?" Shulk asked. "I'm interested in how the mechanism works exactly."

"Of course," Miqol boasted, "always happy to have someone around to help."

The pair worked through most of the night. They taught each other what they knew, though Shulk ended up learning more than Miqol did. Around two in the morning, Miqol shooed Shulk away, saying he should get some rest since he'd spent the day fighting. Shulk agreed, only then realising how tired he actually was. As the boy left, Miqol promised the blades would be ready by the time he woke up.

Almost reluctantly, Shulk headed to the house. As he got to bed, he realised he'd forgotten to mention Ruby Face to Linada or Miqol. He'd have to tell them tomorrow.

 **Author's notes:** In case my description isn't clear enough, look up Fiora's ether IV set of armour, it's the same thing minus the black straps. The drones Shulk uses are the sedna drones.

 **Yugiofangirl:** I actually hadn't seen that art, thank you for telling me about it.


	5. 5- The Plan

**Author's notes:** I'll start this off saying I won't be able to update very often, especially during the months of January and February. School's started again for me and some personal issues came up that make it so I can't work on this fic as often as I'd like since those issues make me leave the house almost every evening. I'll still be updating as often as I can, but I can't promise anything. Also fun fact, most of this chapter was written during my lunch breaks at school.

* * *

"Why do you want this information?" Elinor asked as she looked up to Reyn. "It's top secret, not mention going on that expedition might as well be suicide."

"I just want to take a look at it," Reyn claimed, trying to convince Shulk's mother, "maybe there's something you missed."

"I honestly doubt that," Elinor sighed, "but I guess it can't hurt to let you take a _look_." She stood up and dug through piles upon piles of papers until she pulled out an old and dusty document. "The Monado Archives," she declared, "everything we know about the Monado."

Reyn reached for the document and Elinor quickly pulled it away. "If I ever hear that you even thought about leaving the colony without my approval, I will personally make sure that Vanguarre puts you through his `special training hour` twice a day for the rest of your life," she threatened. The tone she used told Reyn that she wasn't joking.

"I swear it on my parent's grave," Reyn declared, his tone telling Elinor that he wasn't joking.

She handed him the archives and Reyn left the weapon development lab. He didn't dare open the document in the streets of the colony. He reached the restaurant Fiora had opened in the month after Shulk's death.

"I got it," he declared as he sat at the counter.

"Really?" Fiora said, surprised, "I didn't think Elinor would give you something like that so easily."

"She threatened me and I'm even more afraid of her than I was before," Reyn admitted, "but she gave them to me."

"We'll take a look at them at home, it's not exactly safe to talk about that out here," Fiora declared. "Want to help me close up?"

"Yeah of course," Reyn cheered.

Half an hour later, the two of them were on their way to Dunban's house. Once there, they opened up the documents on the kitchen table. They laid them out and separated them between each other. They spent the next hour combing through the papers and found nothing that the original research team had missed. The Monado's location had been pinpointed to somewhere on Valak Mountain, and even they had come to that conclusion.

Reyn stretched and groaned. "This is getting us nowhere."

"Looks like we'll be heading to Valak Mountain," Fiora declared.

She took out a blank sheet of paper and a pen. She wrote as she spoke to Reyn. "It's the coldest region of Bionis, so we'll need warm clothing. The original team had coats made, we should find out who tailored them. As for food, we can bring rations and hunt, we'll have to bring a lot of flasks for water, even if it's just the two of us."

"We should plan a route," Reyn specified, "I know the way through Tephra Cave, but I've never been farther than the knee."

"I'll ask Elinor for a map tomorrow."

Fiora finished her list of things they had to bring for their adventure. She then folded it and placed it in of her pockets. She worked on supper.

Dunban joined them an hour later.

"Elinor told me you got the Monado Archives," he said as he walked in.

"You make it sound like I stole it," Reyn complained.

"Keep in mind I will be coming with you two."

"What?" The both of them exclaimed, neither of them had been aware.

"Someone has to keep an eye on you, make sure you don't get hurt," Dunban reasoned.

"As long as you pay for your equipment," Fiora said, "the original team had their coats custom made, and they were probably quite expensive."

"I will don't worry," Duban assured, "if you didn't know it, the coats were made by none other than Anson."

Reyn groaned. Anson was an amazing tailor, the best in both Colony 9 and 6. However, his prices were known for being high. He'd also been an adventurer in his younger days and had supposedly visited every region on the Bionis.

"As long as you get the materials yourselves it shouldn't be too expensive," Dunban reassured. "He doesn't charge full price if you do that."

"Does he tell us what the materials he needs are?" Fiora asked from the kitchen.

"Of course he does."

"We'll go pay him a visit tomorrow," Reyn declared.

* * *

The next day, Reyn and Fiora stood in front of Anson's house, neither of them willing to knock.

Anson had been Shulk's father. They would come to play here all the time as children. They hadn't visited the house since Shulk's death.

After a minute, Fiora knocked on the door.

Almost immediately, Anson answered the door. "Fiora! Reyn!" He said as a greeting, "come on in!"

He waved them inside. "What can I help you with?" He asked once he closed the door.

"Do you still have the pattern for the coats you made for the Monado expedition?" Fiora asked.

"I have them somewhere," the man replied, "but yes I still have them. You're planning on going to Valak Mountain." It hadn't been a question; he'd simply been stating a fact. Elinor must've told him about their plans.

"We are," Fiora said.

"Alright then let me take your measurements," Anson declared.

He spent the next half hour measuring Reyn and Fiora. He wrote down notes on a paper. Once he was done, he told them all of the materials they would need. He ripped a page from a book and gave it to Fiora. They bid each other good day and left.

Fiora gave the list to Reyn and told him to ask the merchants if they had any, and if not then find out where he could get them. Meanwhile, Fiora would go ask Elinor for a map then go to her restaurant. They could use any gold they could get.

Dunban came by later to add his list of materials to Reyn and Fiora's. He would pay for his coat of his own pocket and would help pay for the others. She thanked him. At this rate, they would leave for Valak Mountain within a month.

* * *

As Reyn got ready for bed that night, he glanced over to a picture on his night stand. He took it in his hands and stared at it. The image depicted him, Fiora and Shulk as children. He put his thumb over the younger version of Shulk.

"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you," he whispered, "but I'll protect Fiora, I swear it. She won't get a scratch."

He put the picture down

"I'll make sure no one has to go through what we did," he assured to himself. "I'll protect Fiora and Dunban and everyone."

He lay down. Tomorrow he would go out and collect the materials he hadn't been able to buy. There was still much to do. And even then once they'd made all of the preparations, they would have to get Elinor's approval.

They would make it, he assured himself. They'd leave to retrieve the Monado.

Reyn promised himself no one would die on the expedition, not on his watch.

* * *

 **Author's notes:** Another thing to mention is that I'll likely be posting short one-shots over on the Xenoblade Chronicles X page since they don't take as long to write and I'm coping with the ending of the game by writing fanfiction about it.


	6. 6- The New Lifestyle

**Author's notes:** It's been awhile, but with exam season over for me, you can expect (hopefully) more regular updates.

* * *

It had been two months since the mechon attack on Alcamoth and life had more or less gone back to normal. Some areas were still in need of repairs, but most traces of the attack had disappeared.

Thankfully, there had been very few civilian casualties. Unfortunately, one death had marked the people.

Prince Kallian had died protecting the emperor and the crown princess. The mechon who'd killed him and flown off with the prince still on it's claws. His spirit would never rest in peace since he did not lay in the High Entia Tomb with the ancestors. The city had still mourned, but with no body to bury there was a feeling of unrest.

From her villa, Melia looked at the distant tomb.

"You should be there, not discarded in the endless sea like garbage or eaten by mechon," Melia said gently, though there was no one there to hear her.

"Lady Melia," a guard walked to her, "it's time."

"Indeed," she turned to the guard, "let's go, Damil."

She headed to the audience chamber. She'd taken her brother's role as advisor after his death. As a result, her days had become much busier. She didn't mind. If anything, it was a welcomed distraction from her otherwise monotonous life. Though she wasn't comfortable with the fact that it was her brother's death that had caused the need to distract herself in the first place and who had opened the position of advisor.

* * *

It had been about a month, give or take a few weeks, that Kallian had been stationed here. He was to watch over the collection of ether in the mines under Colony 6. He was accompanied by Xord, a hammer wielding mass-produced face that just wouldn't shut up. He was always talking, and it was always addressed to Kallian. Not that there was anyone to talk to considering the mechon themselves had no way of responding.

And so Kallian's life went from listening to High Entia and giving them advice to listening to a tin can and tuning him out. He'd learnt to do that fairly quickly and he doubted that Xord had noticed. If he did, he didn't make note of it or particularly care.

His days melded together and he couldn't tell when a day had passed. Being in a mine really messed with his internal clock, though dying and being brought back might also have had something to do with it. He and Xord watched over the ether excavation day in and day out, there was no time to rest anyway.

Kallian didn't know why, but he was itching for a fight. It was like being in this mechon body made him more aggressive. He wanted to know how powerful he was now, what his limits were. He tried to push those thoughts away anytime they happened, but they came with increasing frequency and that scared him. He wasn't in full control. He'd never truly been in control of his life, but never had he felt like this. He would have to find a time to slip away and give in to his urges, no matter how much the idea of it disgusted him.

A few days later, he told Xord he would go inspect the outside to make sure no one was sneaking up on them. Before Xord could reply, he was already heading to the freight elevator that would take him outside.

He left the mines flying and headed toward the Bionis leg. He'd made sure to leave at night so no Homs would see him. He may now be their enemy and he knew he would have to kill some one day, but it wouldn't be today.

He found a lone Gogol in the area he remembered was Gaur Plain. He snuck up on it from behind and stuck out his arm. His mechon was outfitted with a beam sword and one arm and a gun on the other. He opted to use the sword for this. He made the beam appear and attacked.

The Gogol whirled around faster than its size should allow. It slashed at Kallian, who ducked before slashing back at its arm. He stepped around it and hit its elbow. It screeched and blindly tried to hit him. He dodged before lunging at the Gogol. He sliced through its chest and nearly cleaved it in two. It fell to the ground, dead.

Kallian took a step back and sighed. The whole thing had lasted only a minute. His new body was much stronger than he thought. It scared him a little to think that he was in control of a machine this powerful.

The sun was rising and Kallian knew his time was up. He didn't want to be seen by any Homs who could be in the area. He engaged flight mode and went back to the mines.

* * *

A week or so later, he really couldn't tell how long it had been, he was called back to Galahad Fortress. He rushed there as quickly as he could.

It had only been for maintenance, so a few hours later he was heading back to the mines. He should've expected it, but somehow it felt odd. He had a feeling there was something else he should be doing.

Suddenly, a woman's voice sounded in his ears. "Can you hear me?"

"Yes," Kallian replied, confused. "Who are you?"

"My name is Vanea," the woman said, "you are Kallian, pilot of Pearl Face, correct?"

"Yes, I am," Kallian's confusion only grew.

"Officially, your orders are to watch the ether mining under Colony 6," Vanea started, "but I have another mission for you, one between only you and me that you cannot share with anyone."

"I don't really have a choice, do I?"

"You don't," Vanea agreed.

"What's the mission?" Kallian asked.

"Three weeks ago," Vanea explained, "the lowest floor of Galahad fortress exploded and collapsed. In the explosion, Ruby Face and its pilot were lost. The pilot survived and I want you to find him. Once you've found him, I want you to stay by his side even if it means deserting the mechon forces."

Kallian took in all of the information. This woman wanted him to become a bodyguard. He realised it was better than watching over mining operations. He wasn't sure how he'd do it exactly, considering his other "job", but he would figure it out.

"You can count on me," Kallian declared.

* * *

 **Author's notes:** Next chapter, we'll be seeing with what Shulk's been up to!

Lucario: Don't worry, there won't be any Xenoblade Chronicles X spoilers in this story, but I guess that doesn't really matter to you specifically now. That ending was quite a doozy and it screams of a sequel. I won't discuss of my own theories about Mira since it would probably lengthen this chapter by a few thousand words.

Dark Pit Not Pittoo: Actually, it's briefly mentioned in chapter 2 that Shulk and his parents didn't take part of the Monado expedition, so Zanza is still trapped in the Monado.


	7. 7- The Project

**Author's notes:** This chapter was pretty fun to write, though it took awhile (turns out exam season wasn't over after all) but I hope it was worth the wait! This takes place at the same time as chapters 5 and 6. Enjoy!

* * *

"How's your project going?" Miqol asked.

"Pretty well, actually," Shulk replied, "if I can find the right parts, I should be able to build a working prototype within a day or two."

"You could ask Rizaka to go salvage the parts you need," Miqol suggested.

"Right, I'll go ask her."

Miqol watched him leave the room. Shulk reminded him too much of Egil. Perhaps if the circumstances of Shulk's arrival had been different, they could've been friends. But there was no use in musing on what could've been.

The boy had only been here for a week and Miqol already considered him as part of the family.

A few days ago, he'd told him about Ruby Face, the mechon he'd piloted. He couldn't remember it, but he knew somehow. Miqol wasn't sure about it, but Shulk could control it and it could be useful in the future.

Shulk had taken it on a test flight to make sure it was still functional. It had worked flawlessly and had given him an idea.

"If I can add propulsors to my drones," he'd said excitedly, "maybe I can fly with them."

Miqol had expressed his concerns and Shulk had quickly reassured him, saying he'd test it above water.

* * *

Shulk found Rizaka near the ether light. He'd helped her fix her door a few days earlier and they'd become fast friends. He asked her about which parts from the mechon on the Fallen Arm would give the best propulsion. She said she had a few at her house he should come check out. He picked out those which he thought would work best, thanked her, then got to work.

In Colony 9, his desk had been an organised mess. (He blamed his mother for passing her habits on to him.) But here, he'd made sure to keep it clean and organised.

He worked through the rest of day. He eventually looked out his window to see it was dark outside and considered going to bed. Back in Colony 9, he would've worked through the night as well, since he was so close of being done. But Linada had scolded Miqol for keeping awake until nearly four in the morning once, so he decided against it. Besides, the earlier he went to sleep, the earlier he could wake up to finish up his project.

* * *

It was done. Well, the first prototype was, at least.

Shulk grabbed the drones he'd put against the wall the night before. He attached the prototype in between the blades. It should be the spot that would give him the best control over it.

He could test it in the village's lake, but he didn't want anyone but himself to get hurt if anything went wrong.

He decided to go test it out right away. He grabbed a bottle of water and his swords before leaving the house.

He headed to the body of water between the entrance of the village and Digit 5 beach. He wasn't sure if it had a name; he'd have to ask.

He scanned the area to make sure there were no mechon or animals. Reyn had often scolded him because he didn't pay attention to his surroundings. When he was sure he wouldn't get attacked by anything, he planted his swords on the ground.

He walked to the edge of the water and willed the prototype flight pack to come alive. Slowly, he felt himself leave the ground and before he knew it, he was nearly five feet in the air. He moved forward carefully so he would be above the deepest part of the water.

He stayed in midair for a few minutes before the prototype suddenly stopped working, sending Shulk into the water below. He swam to the beach, already trying to figure out what went wrong.

"It must not have enough power to carry me for long periods of time," he muttered to himself, but he needed to make sure.

He faced the water and tried again. He was in the air faster this time, and stayed there for five minutes before the prototype gave out again. The results were the same in his third attempt.

He'd been right; it didn't have enough power. He would have to find a way to make it last longer, or find a more powerful engine.

He went back to the beach to take his swords, then flew across the water. He walked through the Fallen Arm, observing the mechon.

On the digit 5 beach, he spotted a mechon floating above the sand. Shulk observed it for a moment before getting an idea. Karlos had told him that mechon was called the Splendid Botis, it was a unique enemy and incredibly powerful. There'd been attempts to take it down, but all had been unsuccessful. However, those who had tried didn't have Ruby Face. Quickly, he went back to the Zakt spring, where he'd left it last.

He returned to the beach with Ruby Face. The Splendid Botis barely had to chance to notice him before it deactivated. At first, Shulk had been scared of the face unit's power, but he was more or less used to it now. After all, it came in handy in an area where almost everything could easily kill him otherwise.

He left the cockpit and approached the Splendid Botis. He found the part he was looking for: the flight pack. It was nowhere near as powerful as the one Ruby Face had, but when combined with the pack already on his back, it should have enough power to carry him.

He left Ruby Face at the Zakt Spring and headed back to the village. He barely had the time to put the flight pack on his desk before there was a knock at the door. It was Linada.

"Good morning Shulk," she said as a greeting.

"Good morning Linada."

"I believe I now know what the golden chest plate is, but I need to do a few tests before I can confirm it. Would you mind coming with me?"

"Of course not, let's go."

He wanted to keep working on his flight pack, but he knew this was more important. Linada had been trying to figure out what that golden plate was for since he'd mentioned it to her. If it was dangerous, they had to know.

On the way to Junks, she briefed him on what she was going to do. It was rather simple tests, but he would have to be asleep during them. She reassured him that everything would be alright and that he'd wake up either in the evening or the next morning.

* * *

Shulk woke up in the morning. It took him a moment to get his bearings straight. He sat up and looked over to Linada, who was typing something into her computer.

"Hey," he said to announce that he was awake. "Did you confirm what it is?" his hand made its way to the golden triangle on his chest.

She turned to him. "I did, but it isn't what I thought it was, look here."

He stood to see the screen. "Are you sure that's correct?" he asked, eyes wide.

"Yes," Linada replied, "it's your power unit, but I've never seen one so small. It shouldn't be able to power a small furnace, let alone you, but it is."

"Does that mean I'm…" he didn't let himself finish that sentence.

"No, you're safe from that," she saw Shulk sag with relief, "but I'll keep an eye on it, just to make sure everything stays the same."

"Alright, thank you," he said.

"I'm simply doing my job," she assured him. "You're free to go."

"Thank you again," Shulk said as he turned to leave.

He returned home, ready to work on the flight pack. He already had a few ideas on how to improve its capabilities.

* * *

Linada waited to hear the door to outside open and close before heading to Miqol. There was something he had to know.

"How did the tests go?" Miqol asked as a greeting.

"The chest plate won't kill him," Linada replied, "but there's something else about it."

"Go on."

"At first, the symbol looked familiar, but I couldn't place it. Now after performing the tests, knowing that plate is his power unit and looking up the symbol, I believe I now know what Shulk is."

Miqol didn't reply, he only frowned, which Linada took as a sign to continue.

"The symbol is the same as the one surrounding the Meyneth shrine in Agniratha. It's highly likely that, somehow, Shulk is her vessel."

"Are you absolutely sure about this?"

"Not entirely, but like I said, it's very likely."

"It would explain a few things, like his memory loss. Do you have any way of confirming your theory?"

"Unless Lady Meyneth herself makes contact with us, no. But I believe someone else might be able to confirm or deny this. Vanea sometimes takes charge of the faced mechon, does she not?"

"She does," Miqol said grimly, "I'll send her a message."

"You would have to be careful, if this information reaches anyone else but her, it could put Shulk and the entire village in danger."

"I will, don't worry."

Linada took her leave and as she went back to the upper floor, she could only hope that she was very, very wrong.

* * *

 **Author's notes:** The next chapter has actually been planned for quite awhile, even before the first chapter of this fic was ever posted and a part of it is already written, so expect an update within a week or two.

 **Guest:** The battle of sword valley is already written; I'm just waiting for a good place to put it in the story without it feeling forced.

 **XenoEmblem4TW:** You'll see what Kallian looks like in the next chapter!


	8. 8- The Refugee Camp

**Author's notes:** First off I'd like to thank you all so much for over 2000 views on this fic you have no idea how much it means to me. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.

* * *

"Vanea replied to my message, but can't answer because it's too dangerous," Miqol explained to Linada, "she doesn't want it intercepted. She said she would come visit and explain everything then."

"That is understandable," Linada replied. "When will she be here?"

"After tomorrow."

"I will tell Shulk to be here when she arrives."

"No, it's best if he's not here at all during Vanea's visit. She believes Egil could send a mechon to watch her. If it sees Shulk, he'll know where he is, who knows what he'd be willing to do to get him back. It's for the best of not only him but also of the entire village that he is far from the village when Vanea gets here."

"That does make sense," Linada agreed. "Now we just have to find a way to tell him."

* * *

Shulk had finished work on his flight pack. It had taken him a few days, but after much refining, tinkering, testing and modifying it was finally working as it should. It could hold him in the air for a few hours without losing power, which had been his goal.

Thanks to the flight pack, he'd been able to reach the distant fingertip much easier. He'd discovered the area on his third day here. The Wicked Sallos had stared right at him the first time he'd gone and he'd been ready to bolt, but it had given him one look, then had left him alone. According to Karlos, it was usually aggressive, so Shulk had been surprised.

He loved going to the Distant Fingertip because it gave him a sense of scale, in a way. He could see both the Bionis and Mechonis as well as Sword Valley. His old home, his new home, and the battle field between them.

He'd spent quite a few afternoons here, especially after he'd completed the flight pack since it was much easier to reach. He wasn't a fan of the fact that he'd have to climb a wall then a ladder for two hours to get there otherwise.

"Shulk can you hear me?" Linada's voice rung through Shulk's ears. They had figured out quickly that they could communicate through his headpiece.

"Yes I can, what do you need?" He replied.

"Can you come to Junks? Miqol and I need to talk to you."

"Of course, I'll be right there."

He stood up and took a few steps back. He ran toward the edge and jumped. He activated the flight pack and flew toward Junks. It was definitely a faster way to travel than on foot. Though he couldn't help but wonder what they wanted to tell him.

* * *

"You want me leave the village?" Shulk asked, unsure if he'd heard wrong.

"Just for a few days," Miqol assured him. "Someone is coming to visit and she believes she might be watched. If you're spotted during that time, it might endanger the village."

"I understand," Shulk said grimly. "I don't want the village to be in danger because of me, so I don't mind leaving for awhile."

"Where will you go?" Miqol asked.

"I'm not completely sure," Shulk rubbed the back of his head, "but probably the Bionis Leg. I've been there a few times so at least I'd be familiar with the area."

"Stay safe," Linada said.

"I'll be fine," Shulk reassured her, "like Miqol said, it'll just be for a few days."

"We'll call you back once it's safe," Miqol said.

"When do I have to leave?" Shulk asked.

"Tomorrow night at the latest," Linada answered.

"Alright I'll get ready tonight and leave in the morning."

* * *

Shulk returned to his house. He didn't have much, if anything, to pack. The only things he owned were his swords and his drones, and since the flight pack was attached to the drones, he didn't have to worry about that. He would only have to bring a flask for water.

He looked through the window and realised it was now the afternoon. He and Karlos had taken the habit of sparring. It helped him get used to the double blades.

They stopped when the sun was setting.

"Same time tomorrow?" Karlos asked as they headed back to the village.

"I actually won't be here for a few days," Shulk said, "I have to leave for both my safety and the one of the villagers."

"Ah, alright then," Karlos replied. "Stay safe."

"I will."

* * *

Morning had come and Shulk was ready. He was nervous for sure, but he was ready. He grabbed his drones and swords and headed out to Junks.

Linada and Miqol had, unsurprisingly, been waiting for him. Linada was holding what seemed to be a piece of cloth.

"If there was a safer way to do this I would," Miqol said. "Be careful out there."

"I'll be fine," Shulk reassured him, "I can defend myself."

"That won't stop us from worrying," Miqol replied.

"Here, take this," Linada said as she gave Shulk the cloth. "It's not much, but it could come in handy if you meet other Homs."

It was a black cloak. He put it on and saw that it hid his armour and drones as well as a hood that concealed his head set. If he had to, he could blend in with other Homs.

"Thank you," he said.

"You should get going," Miqol announced.

"Yes." Shulk looked at Linada, "call me when it's safe for me to come back."

"I will," Linada nodded.

"Then I'll see you in a few days!" Shulk declared.

Linada and Miqol bid him farewell and he left.

He headed for the Zakt spring to fill up his flask. Once that was done, he climbed into Ruby Face and headed toward the Bionis.

* * *

Shulk reached the Bionis Leg in the afternoon. He left Ruby Face in the area he remembered as Believer's Paradise. He'd come here once with his father when he was very little.

He exited Ruby Face and took a moment to enjoy the scenery. He had a few hours of daylight left, so he decided to go explore.

He followed the path down and thankfully wasn't attacked by anything. In the distance, he could hear shouts. He ran towards them, hoping to make it in time.

* * *

The mechon had gone too close to the camp, so it had been decided that they would get rid of them. The only problem was that the camp mostly consisted of the elderly and children. The few who could fight had grabbed a rifle and headed out with Sharla as their leader.

They were doing alright. A few mechon had been deactivated, but most were still standing. Sharla healed any injuries as best she could. She was getting ready to call for a retreat; she didn't want to lose anyone.

Suddenly, she saw a someone running toward her. She saw him draw twin blades and cut down a few mechon. She was thankful for whoever this was. With the stranger's help, the battle was over in a few minutes.

"Thank you," Sharla said once the last mechon had fallen. "What's your name?"

* * *

Shulk had made it in time. He hadn't wanted to make contact with other Homs, but hadn't had much of a choice there. He wasn't going to let innocents die. He didn't wish what had happened to him to anyone.

"What's your name?" the woman who seemed to be this group's leader asked.

His mind scrambled to find another name. He didn't want to risk being recognised by giving his real name. "My name is Ruby, what's yours?"

"Sharla," the woman responded. "Thank you again, I hate to think what would've happened if you hadn't shown up there."

"It was nothing, really. If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing out here?"

Sharla sighed. "I'll explain everything at our camp. It's this way."

* * *

Shulk followed the group back to their camp and once there, listened to Sharla's story.

Colony 6 had been attacked by mechon four months earlier. Sharla and her brother, Juju, had been assigned to evacuating the young and the elderly. They'd been living here since.

"Why don't you go to Colony 9?"

Sharla sighed. "We tried, but the animals in Gaur Plain, especially that Gogol, make the passage of so many people impossible."

"That does seem to be a problem," Shulk said. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"I guess you could just help around camp if you're willing to do that."

* * *

For the next few days, Shulk helped out some refugees in the camp. He wanted to help them and he'd made a plan in his head. He would just have to wait until the right moment to execute it.

Every night, he would return to his "camp" as he'd told Sharla and return to the refugee camp in the morning. On the fourth day, he received a message from Linada telling him it was now safe to return. He told her he had a few things to do before coming back and she simply told him to be careful, whatever it was he was doing.

During that day, he readied himself for the plan he'd come up with a few days earlier. When the sun started to wane, he bade goodbye to Sharla and left the camp.

Once he was sure he was out of sight of anyone at the camp, he flew to Believer's Paradise. He boarded Ruby Face and headed to Gaur Plain. He spent a good portion of the night taking out animals that would put the refugees in danger. The battle with the Gogol was the most challenging fight, but it fell like the others. He then went into Tephra Cave and took care of some animals there as well. Once all of that was done, he returned to Believer's Paradise and slept in Ruby Face for the rest of the night.

The next morning, he returned to the refugee camp. Sharla greeted him. He told her that he'd taken a detour by Gaur Plain on the way and that for some reason, there were very few animals in the area, even the Gogol was nowhere to be seen.

Sharla's eyes lit up. "Do you think we can make it?"

"If you do it today, yes," Shulk told her. He could only hope he was right.

She told everyone to gather their things and get ready to move out. There was hope for a moment, as some thought they were going back to Colony 6, but she told them the route to Colony 9 was now open and that they should hurry before it closed again.

The refugees moved out an hour later. They stayed together and moved as quickly as they could through the Bionis' Leg.

"Are you familiar with Colony 9 Ruby?" Sharla asked as they walked.

"Not really," Shulk lied, "I've just heard of it, I'm not from there."

"Really?" Sharla said, surprised. "I thought colony 6 and 9 were the only ones left."

"Well, yes," Shulk was glad he'd thought about her possibly asking this question when he was hunting the night before, "but when people were leaving the colonies that were destroyed in the mechon attacks 15 years ago, some of them decided to build a new colony in Makna Forest. That's where I come from."

"I'd never heard of such a place, but it does make sense," Sharla said, seemingly buying his lie. "Why are you here then?"

"I was sent out to investigate the mechon attacks," Shulk replied. Sharla nodded as an answer.

At that moment, Shulk was glad for the stories his parents had told him about when he was younger. They'd told him mostly about the long walk from the ruins of Colony 1 to Colony 9, as well as all of the areas they'd visited along the way.

When they reached the entrance to Tephra Cave, Shulk turned to Sharla.

"This is as far as I go," he said, "I have to head back."

"All right," she replied. "Thank you for everything." She gave him a tight hug and Shulk hoped that she couldn't feel his armour through his cloak. "I hope I'll see you again."

Shulk returned the hug, "me too."

He waited until all of the refugees had disappeared into the cave before turning back.

He could've flown back to Believer's Paradise, but decided to walk there instead. On the way, he saw another path and followed it. There were arachnos everyone. He eventually reached an altar. He picked up what was on it. He had no idea what it could be, but it looked like a mirror made of clay, however that worked. He put it in the cloak's pocket; it could come in handy one day.

He looked up and saw a giant arachno climbing up from the cliff face. While Shulk wasn't afraid of spiders, it was _huge._ He decided the best course of action was to run, so he ran.

It chased him for awhile, but it finally left him alone when he reached Villera Hill. He slowed down then, and walked back to Believer's Paradise.

* * *

Kallian had taken in the habit of stopping in an area called Believer's Paradise at the end of his patrols to enjoy the view. It was nothing like Eryth Sea, but it had its own charm.

He'd told Xord that he'd been given new orders to patrol the area at night to make sure no one snuck up on them. Xord had bought it.

Today, however, he'd spent nearly his entire patrol in Believer's Paradise. He hadn't been able to patrol in a few days and when he gone back to doing them, he'd immediately noticed the red mechon, Ruby Face, which had been left there. Kallian couldn't believe what he saw at first. Only two weeks after the order had come in from Vanea, he'd found what she asked him to look for. But the mechon's pilot was nowhere to be seen, so he'd waited.

Vanea had warned him to avoid leaving Pearl Face for an extended amount of time since he wouldn't survive being out of it for too long. He assumed it was the same for the other pilot, so after a few hours, he started to worry.

He left his own mechon. It was just for a few minutes. He wanted to feel the warmth of the sun and caress of the wind on his face. Oddly enough, it was one of the things he missed the most. It was quiet here, something that was non-existent in the mine.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps behind him.

* * *

Shulk froze when he reached the exit of the tunnel that lead to Believer's Paradise.

There was another mechon next to his, it was white with a pearl finish. It was much bigger than his. It had a gun on it's side and one of its arms stopped at the elbow; there was likely a blade attached to it. He might stand a chance against it, but he didn't want to find out.

He noticed someone standing at the edge of the cliff. Their armour was the same color as the mechon and it's design looked similar to his own, just that the black straps were white. They had short silver hair.

"You can trust him," a voice rang through his head, "he's not sent to kill you or a spy. He's just like you."

Shulk froze. He didn't know who the voice's owner was, but somehow, he _knew_ he could trust her. So he did.

He approached the other pilot, hoping the voice in his head was correct.

* * *

Kallian whirled around, hand hovering over his sword. His breath caught in his throat when he saw the one he'd been looking for.

He lowered his hand, suddenly feeling relaxed.

Ruby Face's pilot spoke.

"Who are you?"


	9. 9- Introductions

"Hmm," Elinor leafed through the plan Fiora, Reyn and Dunban had been making over the past few weeks, "maybe you guys stand a chance."

"You're letting us go?" Reyn asked, hoping he'd heard right.

"I am."

"Is there anything we can change that would help us?" Fiora asked.

"Good thing you asked that," Elinor said with a smile, "I wouldn't have let you go if you hadn't."

Reyn was surprised by Elinor's answer, but Fiora wasn't. Shulk's mother was known to always test her students even if they didn't know they were being tested.

Elinor looked over their notes again. "Don't travel through Satorl Marsh at night," she warned, "it may look pretty, but all of the strong animals come out at night. If you're spotted, you're as good as dead. You can only rest safely here and here," she pointed to spots on the map, "the light of the obelisks there keeps dangerous creatures away. Make sure that no one keeps watch more than two nights in a row, that you always have at least one flask of water full at all times and don't forget that it's alright to run if you get into trouble."

"So we just have to change our path through Satorl Marsh?" Fiora asked.

"Uh-huh," Elinor gave her back the notes. "Be careful out there."

"Thank you," Fiora and Reyn said in unison.

"When are you leaving?" Elinor asked.

"Sometime next week," Reyn replied.

"Come here before you leave, I'll have something for you."

"Alright."

* * *

The week passed slowly. Dunban and Reyn collected last minute materials while Fiora worked hard, gathering money they would likely need.

Finally, the day came where they would leave. They'd spent the night before getting everything together.

Reyn woke up before the sun had risen. He looked at the picture on his end table, the one with him, Fiora and Shulk as children. It reminded of his goal for this adventure. Recover the Monado and make it so no one else would have to go through what he did.

"Wherever you are Shulk," Reyn muttered, "I hope you're happy."

He composed himself and left his house. He'd left his things at Fiora's house, so he didn't have to grab anything.

They'd agreed to meet at the weapon development lab at dawn, so he headed there. He wondered what Elinor had for them.

"Is this what I think it is?" Dunban asked as he examined the katana Elinor had given him.

"If you're thinking 'anti-mechon weapon', then yes," the woman replied.

"How did you make these?" Fiora asked, looking over her new knives. "I thought they broke during or after the Battle of Sword Valley".

"I commissioned them from Dickson," Elinor sighed, "he still refuses to tell me what they're made of or how he made them, but they can cut through mechon armour and that's all that really matters. Considering the attack on the colony, you may run into some while you're out there."

"These helped us win the battle," Dunban said, "even if he only managed to make a few."

"They'll probably come in handy, especially since the colony was attacked recently," Elinor said, everyone pretended to not hear the pain in her voice. "Anyway, you three be careful out there, come back in one piece."

"We will, don't worry," Reyn assured her.

The trio headed out to Tephra Cave. They went through it quickly and surprisingly easily. There were barely any animals in the cave and those that were there were non-aggressive.

"I'm not the only one who finds this weird, am I?" Reyn asked, they were nearing the exit and hadn't been attacked once.

"Be on your guard, something could have scared them away," Dunban warned.

They kept going, looking around every corner and listening for anything. They'd now passed Villia Lake and were in the final hallway.

"You hear that?" Fiora froze, "there's voices."

"The defence force wasn't going out here today," Reyn said.

"Let's go see who it is," Dunban declared.

They ran into a group of people who seemed to be from Colony 6. Dunban approached a woman, who seemed to be leading the group.

"Who are you?" he asked.

* * *

"Who are you?" Ruby Face's pilot asked.

Kallian wasn't sure what to say. His name would be a start, of course, but he didn't know _how_ to introduce himself. He forced himself to calm down, remembering the lessons he'd learned.

"I am Kallian," he said in what he hoped was a calm, professional tone, "the pilot of Pearl Face here. And you are?"

"I'm Shulk," the blonde introduced himself, "Ruby Face's pilot."

There was a long, slightly awkward silence between them. Shulk took that time to get a better look at Kallian. His armour was similar to his own, the only real difference being the colour. He had silver hair, which he'd never seen on a Homs before.

Kallian got a good look at Shulk. He was shorter than he'd imagined. He noticed the strange golden plate on his chest, but said nothing. He was nice looking, Kallian wouldn't deny that.

"So why are you here?" Shulk asked, finally breaking the silence.

"I should be the one asking that," Kallian replied jokingly, "I'm doing my job, patrolling around the area and suddenly you appear."

"That _is_ a good point," Shulk replied. "Long story short, I'm here for my safety and that of others."

"Are you sure? This place can hardly be called safe."

"It would've been more dangerous to stay where I was than to come here."

Kallian fell silent. Where had Shulk ended up that this place was safer in comparison? That must've been why Vanea had told him to find him, though he still didn't understand _why_. She must have a reason though and he hadn't dared question her.

"How long have you been out here?" Shulk suddenly asked.

"Huh?" The question had broken Kallian's train of thought.

"How long have you been outside of your unit?" Shulk asked again, clearer this time. He didn't know why he asked it, but the voice in his head wanted to know.

"A few hours," Kallian answered, realising how every second he spent talking with Shulk was borrowed time. He had to get back inside Pearl Face before it was too late.

" _It's amazing he lasted that long without any negative effects,"_ the voice in Shulk's head said.

"You should probably get back in it before you drop dead," Shulk suggested.

"That _does_ sound like a good idea," Kallian replied, his voice shaking a little. "Let's continue this conversation from our cockpits, shall we?"

* * *

"Who are you?" Dunban asked the woman who seemed to be the leader of the group.

She turned to him and looked him over for a moment, then examined Reyn and Fiora. "I'm Sharla," she said. "Are you from Colony 9?"

"We are," Dunban replied. "I am Dunban, these are Reyn and Fiora."

"What are you doing all the way out here?" Fiora asked.

"Colony 6 was attacked four months ago," she explained, "we had a camp on the Bionis leg. We tried to get back to our colony, but the mechon have taken over it. We figured coming here would be better and safer than living in a cave."

"A wise choice," Dunban said, "allow us to escort you back to the colony, Tephra Cave can be dangerous."

"Though nothing's attacked us and we've been through the whole cave," Reyn pointed out.

"It must've been Ruby!" the boy next to Sharla said.

"Don't be ridiculous Juju," Sharla sighed, "there's no way Ruby could've cleared this place _or_ Gaur plain."

"You've seen him fight! He's amazing!"

"No person on their own would be able to defeat that many enemies," Dunban told Juju, "there must be an explanation for the lack of monsters in the area."

"Who's Ruby?" Fiora asked.

"He's this awesome guy who saved us from some mechon," Juju answered, "he has anti-mechon swords and he helped around camp for a few days. Then he led us here and said he had to go back home."

"Where's he from?" Reyn asked.

"A small colony in Makna Forest, apparently," Sharla replied.

"There's a colony there?" Fiora exclaimed.

"It was the first time I'd heard of it too," Sharla said, "especially since the only way to get there is by transport ship and even then you needed special permission to be allowed to go."

"It's a mystery we'll have to deal with another day," Dunban declared. "For now, let's focus on escorting you safely to Colony 9."

* * *

"So you died protecting your sister and the next thing you knew you were like you are now?" Shulk asked, making sure he got everything right.

"That's a good summary," Kallian agreed. "So what's your story?"

"Well I don't remember much, to be honest," Shulk started, "I died protecting my friends and the next thing I knew I was in a hospital bed. For half a second, I thought I'd just passed out, but then I remembered that mechon's claws and…" he paused, "and I knew I was very, very far from my colony.

"So you don't remember your service in the army?"

"Not a thing. We're not sure if I even served at all or if I was just kept in storage."

Kallian stayed silent. In some ways, Shulk was very lucky and in other ways he was very unlucky. Still, he knew what he had to do.

"So what now?" he asked.

"It's up to you. You serve the mechon and though I can't understand why you'd stay; I'll respect your decision."

Kallian laughed, "Why would I stay at their service when they've destroyed my home, stolen me away from my family and turned me into _this._ " He took a deep breath, "I'll come with you, if that's all right. Wherever you ended up, no matter how dangerous, is better than serving those bastards." _And besides, I was told to protect you no matter what,_ he silently added.

"Let's get going then," Shulk declared. "I'm sure they'll accept you."

"Lead the way."

* * *

 **Author's notes:** This chapter was really fun to write even if it took a while. I really like how it turned out and I'm thinking of doing something similar in a later chapter (as in the POV changing from different characters in completely different areas) so tell me what you thought about it, what you liked, didn't like and how I could improve it!

Oh, on another note, updates will be slow for awhile because of school and other things and I apologise for that but school work takes priority over fun work. I'm not sure when I'll be able to get back to updating semi-regularly, but it hopefully won't be too long. Until then, thanks for reading!


	10. 10- Touring

Kallian couldn't quite believe what he saw. When he'd left the Bionis Leg with Shulk, he hadn't expected him to lead him below Sword Valley. He's explained that it was the remains of the arm of the Mechonis that had been cut off during the battle between the titans. It was now the home of the Machina, who had taken Shulk in.

He wasn't sure if he should be more surprised by the fact that there was life on Mechonis or that it somehow still had both of its arms despite the fact that were going to a place called "the Fallen Arm".

Shulk lead him to a beach, where they landed. There was a spring nearby and they stopped there for a moment to drink water.

"You should see Linada first," Shulk said as he gave him his flask, "she's the doctor. She can make it so you don't have to worry about being out of your unit for too long." He took back the flask and drank more before speaking again, "though Miqol, the chief, will probably want to talk to you. Either way, you'll see them both."

Kallian would be lying of he said he wasn't nervous to meet them, but from what Shulk had told him on the flight here they were kind people.

"It's starting to get dark, let's go," Shulk declared.

Shulk lead the way to the hidden Machina village. While Kallian had visited Homs colonies with his father when he was younger, he'd never seen anything quite like _this._

They didn't have the time to tour the village though, so they headed straight to Junks. Shulk had sent a warning ahead saying he was bringing someone back with him and he fully expected Linada to be waiting for them at the entrance, which she was.

She welcomed Shulk back with a warm smile and told him Miqol wanted to see him. As soon as he'd gone through the door, Linada turned to Kallian and looked him over. He felt like she was looking into his very soul. For what seemed to be an eternity, nothing was said until she finally spoke.

"My office is upstairs," she gave him the same smile she'd given Shulk, "let's go."

Her office was simpler than he'd expected; a computer and a simple bed. She gestured toward it. "Take a seat." He did.

She typed something into her computer. Kallian was tense, a little scared even.

"You aren't Homs," Linada stated.

"Yes, I'm High Entia."

"I'm sorry about your headwings."

Kallian's hand made his way to the side of his head. There was a tender spot where his wing used to be.

"I need to conduct a few tests and likely install a piezoelectric unit, which will allow you survive outside of your face unit. I'll also try to add something to help with your center of balance, I know a High Entia's headwings play a pretty big part in their balance. Now that you've lost them, you need to have a way to compensate."

"That...makes a lot of sense. I thought I was having trouble staying upright because I'd been in Pearl Face for so long." He didn't question how or why she seemed to know High Entia anatomy.

"That probably played a role in it as well," Linada agreed. "You'll need to be asleep for the tests, but you'll wake up in the morning."

"Alright," he lay down, "don't tell Shulk," he suddenly said, "that I'm High Entia, I mean. I want to tell him myself."

"Your secret is safe with me."

* * *

"It's good to see you Shulk, I'm glad you made it back safely," Miqol greeted.

"It's nice to see you too, Miqol. It's great to be back."

"How did it go?"

"Well…" Shulk told Miqol about the last few days; the refugee camp, his adventure to find the supposedly endless supply of ether crystals (Miqol laughed a good bit at that story), how he somehow got two people to start dating and how he met Kallian. He didn't mention his visit to Tephra Cave in the middle of the night; he had a feeling Miqol wouldn't fully approve. Even Shulk had to admit it had been reckless of him, but it had been worth it.

"So this Kallian," Miqol mused, "is he trustworthy?"

"Yes," Shulk replied without hesitation, "I can't explain how or why, but I just _know_ we can trust him."

"Well I'll trust your judgement for now, but I'll talk to him whenever Linada lets him go," Miqol declared. "Is there anything else that happened?"

For a brief moment, Shulk considered telling him about the voice he'd heard, but decided not to. He wanted to ask Linada about it first; he didn't want anyone to worry. He shook his head.

"You should go up to Linada, I'm sure she wants to talk to you."

"Alright, I'll see you later."

Miqol watched him leave. Vanea had told them about Kallian, though she'd referred to him as "Pearl", likely the name of his face unit. He had nothing against more people coming here, but he didn't want the village to become a target, either. He would tell them later to leave their units somewhere that couldn't be seen from above, just in case.

* * *

Shulk went into Linada's office. Kallian was on the bed, unconscious and she was looking at something on her computer.

"Linada?" he said quietly.

She turned to him. "Oh Shulk, there you are." She glanced at Kallian, "he's going to need a piezoelectric unit. Would you mind going to look for one?"

"Not at all."

"Wreckage often washes up on the shore by the beach of Digit 5, so you should look there. It has a faint red glow, so it should be easy to find at this hour."

"I'll be back soon," Shulk declared as he turned to leave.

He briefly considered going to the Zakt spring to get Ruby Face, but decided it would be faster to use his flight pack. He flew to digit 5 beach, keeping an eye out for a faint red glow.

He found one near where he'd destroyed the Splendid Botis two weeks earlier. It took him a moment to remove it from the fallen mechon. He was surprised at how small the piece was, but he also recognised it. Back in Colony 9, he'd never been able to figure out what it did. He saw another one a little further away and decided to get that one too. It might come in handy later if one of them stopped working.

He flew back to Junks and gave both piezoelectric units to Linada.

"I just have to make a few modifications and I'll install it. You should go get some rest," she said. "You wouldn't want him to wake up and see you exhausted."

"Right. I'll see you in the morning."

Shulk returned to his house. He took off his drones and put his swords down. He hadn't realised how tired he was until Linada had pointed it out. He went to bed and was asleep in seconds.

* * *

Kallian woke up in the morning feeling refreshed. He sat up and saw Linada working at her computer.

"Good morning," she said without looking away.

"Good morning," Kallian replied.

"Miqol, the village chief, wants to talk with you. Are you feeling well enough to go see him?"

"I feel great actually, so yes."

"Alright follow me then."

He followed her downstairs and went through the door that Shulk had disappeared into the night before. Linada lead him through it and he did a double take when he saw Miqol.

"I get a kick out of seeing people's faces every time!" the one in question laughed.

Kallian apologised for his rudeness, but Miqol dismissed it. "Anyway," he said, "tell me your story."

Kallian told him about how he died protecting his sister, how he woke up, his service in the mines. "Then one day I was called back to Galahad Fortress. Officially, it was for maintenance, but on my way back I was contacted by a woman called Vanea. She told me about this mechon that had fallen from the fortress and asked me to look for it. She also told me that once I found him, I had to stay with him and protect him."

"That sounds about right," Miqol said. "Vanea told us about you."

"She even told us to expect you," Linada added, "which is why we were ready long before Shulk sent the message."

"Did she say anything else when you talked to her?" Miqol asked.

"No, she didn't."

"Well then," he boasted, "let me formally welcome you to our village. You are free to stay as long as you like."

"Thank you for your generosity."

* * *

The first thing Shulk did after waking up that morning was to head straight for Junks. He grabbed his swords and drones, of course, but doing that didn't really count as a detour.

Once there, he went up to Linada's office to see if she was there, but she wasn't. He went down to see Miqol since it was the only place where it would make sense for her and Kallian to be.

He entered just as Miqol was welcoming Kallian to the village. He was thanking him when Shulk gave him a small pat on the back.

"There's a free house," Linada said, "but nobody knows where its key is, so you would have to stay with Shulk for a while until it's changed."

Kallian looked to Shulk; it was him who should answer.

"No problem," the blonde replied, "I'm not sure if the couch is comfortable to sleep on, but it should be alright for awhile."

"It's settled, then," Miqol replied. "Shulk, I'll leave you on charge of the tour."

"You can count on me."

"While you're doing it, keep an eye out for a place where you could place your units that wouldn't be seen from above, just in case," Miqol said. "We wouldn't want the village to become a target."

"Right," Shulk replied.

The pair left Junks. Miqol couldn't help but feeling an odd pride when he saw those two.

"Let's start with the village," Shulk declared, "it doesn't seem like you could get lost here, but it's surprisingly easy to do so actually."

Over the course of the next two hours, they toured the village and Kallian was introduced to every villager they ran into, which turned out to be all of those that were out and about at that hour. They welcomed him just as warmly as they did Shulk. Like one of them had put it: "it's refreshing to see a new face here."

Around noon, they headed to the house they'd be sharing for a few days.

"It's probably a little smaller than what you're used to," Shulk said as he showed him inside, "but it's home."

It definitely was smaller than what Kallian was used too. In fact, he was pretty sure his bathroom had been bigger than the house itself, but it would do. It felt cozy, unlike the cold corridors of the imperial palace. He had a feeling it wouldn't take long to get used to this place. He missed his family though, he had a feeling he'd never stop missing them.

He didn't have anything to put in the house or anything to grab, so they didn't stay very long.

Next thing on their list to visit was the Fallen Arm itself. Right before they left the village, they were approached by Natalie. Kallian had heard there were Homs here, but he hadn't seen one yet.

"Hey Shulk, are you going out?" She asked as she joined them.

"Yeah, why?" He replied.

"Can you take this fish to Theo? He's on watch by Digit 2, I think." She hadn't seemed to have noticed Kallian yet, but when she looked up, she did. "Oh you must be that new arrival I've heard about. Nice to meet you! Kallian, right?"

"Yes, it's nice to meet you too," he replied.

"It really is nice to other Homs here," she said. "What Colony are you from?"

Kallian scrambled his brain to remember which one he'd been stationed below. "Colony 6," he hoped the pause hadn't been too long or suspicious. He wanted to wait until the right moment to tell Shulk (and everyone else) that he was High Entia. He wasn't sure why he wanted to wait, but it probably had something to do with how his species had cut herself off from the Homs.

"Well, welcome to the village!" she cheered. "I know it feels weird at first, but you'll feel at home here eventually!" She focused her attention back on Shulk and gave him a lunch box. "I'd go deliver it myself but I don't feel well lately."

"You can count on us," Shulk said as he took the box.

"Thank you," she said as she turned to leave.

They headed out, their first stop being the watch point on Digit 2. Theo thanked them for the food. They continued the tour. Shulk showed Kallian all of the points of interest, which turned out to be almost everything. At some point, they ran into a Homs named Karlos. He insisted that they train together for a while, so they did.

Kallian realised just how rusty he was with his sword when he sparred with Karlos. He was much stronger physically now, but he'd lost practice. It didn't help either that he had trouble finding his balance. He could only hope Linada would find the solution to that problem soon.

Despite his lack of practice and balance issues, he somehow won the match against Karlos.

"You're pretty good," he said, "though I almost got you there."

"That was really close," Kallian replied, "I really need more practice."

"Well you're free to come find me anytime if you want to spar again."

"It's a deal."

"I'll see you two back at the village."

Karlos headed back while the pair continued. They found a place by Digit 5 where they could hide their units, so they went back to the beach to place them there. Once they were done, the sun was starting to wane. Shulk guessed there were about three hours of sunlight left.

"There's one more place I want to show you," Shulk declared.

"What is it?"

"The Distant Fingertip. It's quite the climb, but it's worth it."

"Then let's get going."

* * *

They were about halfway up when Kallian realised just how impossible it would be for him to do this if he still had his old body. He would've lost his grip long ago. _I guess this body does have its advantages,_ he told himself

When they reached the top, Kallian couldn't believe what he saw. He used to believe there was no prettier view in the world than Eryth Sea during an ether shower, but the Fallen Arm seen from above as the sun waned took the cake.

He couldn't find the words to describe what he was seeing. When he finally managed to look away, there was an amused smile on Shulk's lips.

"Was it worth the climb?" He asked.

"Yes."

"I've come here almost everyday since I got here."

"I can see why, though I can't imagine having to do the climb everyday."

"It was pretty exhausting," he agreed, "but after I made my flight pack it's been pretty effortless."

"Flight pack?"

Shulk turned so Kallian could see it. "I could make you one, it would make it easier to get around."

"If you want to," he said, not wanting to force Shulk to do anything.

"Then let's get looking for the parts we need."

* * *

Shulk and Kallian returned to the village a few hours after the sun had waned. They were carrying the parts that Shulk would need to make a second flight pack. He insisted on doing it, saying it was much easier to get around with it.

They put the parts in the office. Shulk decided to get started immediately.

"Aren't you tired?" Kallian asked.

"I'm fine," Shulk replied, "if you're tired though feel free to take one of my blankets and get comfortable on the couch."

"Uh, right."

Kallian headed for Shulk's room, which was really just a bed, a desk and a window. He took one of the blankets, wrapped it around himself and went to the couch.

While the couch was comfortable to sit on, it was another story when it came to sleeping on it. He managed to find a position that wouldn't make his back sore and painful in the morning. He'd always had trouble falling asleep, but he found it came very quickly this time around.

* * *

Shulk worked on the flight pack for about an hour. He looked at the clock and saw it was about an hour before midnight. He paused his work and went to see Linada. He wanted to ask her about the voice he'd heard.

He headed for Junks. It was oddly quiet at this hour. He went up to her office, where he found her working at her computer.

"Linada?" he called and she turned.

"What is it?"

"There's something I'd like to talk to you about."

"Go on."

"When I first met Kallian, I heard a voice in my head. It said I could trust him, that he was just like me. I just went with it because I didn't have much of a choice but…" he paused. "I can't help but wonder who that was, why her voice was in my head."

Linada's gaze turned to the golden plate on Shulk's chest. Vanea had been right. Shulk was, indeed, Lady Meyneth's vessel. She had no idea how to explain it to him without him freaking out, even if he was already pretty freaked out about having a voice in his head.

"Is it a malfunction?" Shulk asked, pulling Linada out of her thoughts.

"It is not a malfunction," Linada reassured him. "I'm not sure if I can explain properly, since I am not aware of the entire situation, but what I can tell you is this: there is someone else inside of your head. She means you no harm and you should listen to her when she makes herself heard."

Shulk nodded slowly. "I understand. It makes sense, actually."

"What do you mean?"

"I could always feel _something_ , but I could never place what it was. Now I realise it's her."

Linada smiled. "I'm glad it doesn't bother you too much."

"Do you know what her name is?" he asked.

"Her name is Meyneth," she answered. "How's Kallian doing?"

"He's doing well, I think," Shulk replied. "He seemed glad to meet other people, it was like he was used to it. He's asleep now."

"Good, he's likely very tired."

"Yeah."

"Linada glanced at the clock; it was almost midnight.

"You should go get some sleep as well," she gently pushed him toward the exit.

Shulk returned home. He still had a lot of questions, but they would have to wait until later.

* * *

Kallian woke up the next morning. He would be lying if he said he was surprised his back didn't hurt considering the couch. He was glad for it though. The sun's rays were starting to make their way into the room. He sat up and stretched. He wasn't quite sure what to do. He figured waiting for Shulk was probably the best idea. He lay back down and waited.

Shulk had spent most of the night pondering over what Linada had told him. There was someone else in his head. He didn't know what she was thinking, but he could tell she was gently tugging at him. There was something she desperately needed to do that she needed his body for. He would gladly help her, if only he could figure out how.

She'd only communicated once, when he'd run into Kallian. She'd been quiet before and she was quiet now. Maybe she was resting. If only he could find out how to contact her.

He figured he would have to wait before she made herself known again. He didn't have much of a choice, anyway.

He left his room. The sun had started to appear and he wouldn't be able to sleep anyway.

Kallian was on the couch, sleeping. Or at least he thought he was sleeping, but he sat up when Shulk passed by. He jumped back a few feet. He hadn't been expecting that. Kallian apologised for scaring him, but Shulk simply laughed it off.

"What are we doing today?" Kallian asked.

"Well I'm going to keep working on the flight pack, but you're free to go wherever you want."

"Right. I'll see you a little later then."

Kallian left the house and went to Junks. Linada had told him to come see her when he was done with his tour.

It was an odd feeling to not have a set schedule, to not have any guards following his every move. _Freedom_ , he realised it was. He liked it.

Linada was at her office.

"I was just about to go look for you," she said without turning from her computer. "I think I may have found out how to fix your balance issues."

"That's great! How do you do it?"

"It's quite simple actually, I just have to…"

She started talking about mechanical things Kallian couldn't quite grasp and gave up trying to understand. He tuned her out and pretended to listen, something he'd mastered as royal advisor.

"Are you ready?" she asked and he snapped back to attention.

"Yes."

* * *

A few hours later, he left Linada's office, no longer struggling to stay upright. It felt great.

After leaving Junks, he headed to the plaza. Shulk had told him about the library the day before and he was curious to see what kind of books it had.

The library looked just like any other house in the village, but it seemed much bigger than the others. He roamed the alleys, reading the titles and occasionally picking one up and reading the first few pages. He eventually stumbled upon a section that simply said "blank". The books had no titles and when he opened them, they were empty. He asked someone else what this section was.

"It's just if you want to take a book and write in it," she explained. "If you need pencils, there's some at the entrance."

He thanked the female Machina and waited for her to wander away. He found a blank book that was thick enough for his taste. On his way out, he took a pencil.

He went back to the house he shared with Shulk, who was still in the office. Kallian curled up on the couch and started writing.

Ever since he'd learnt how to write, he'd written down the events of the day and his thoughts about them. He wasn't sure why, but he just _had_ to do it.

He wrote for the rest of the afternoon, starting with the day he'd died. A lot had happened since then, and he had even more thoughts about those events.

* * *

Shulk looked out the window and saw that the sun was starting to wane. He'd once again lost track of time and had worked through the day. He'd do it all the time back in Colony 9 and it was still true today.

Though back in Colony 9, Fiora or Reyn would've dragged him out to eat. It was probably the first time he'd actually worked during the entirety of the day without getting interrupted.

He stretched and went to the main living area of the house. He found Kallian curled up on the couch, writing. Shulk curled up on the couch as well and they stayed like that for awhile.

"How was your day?" Shulk asked.

"It went well," Kallian replied, "the library had a lot of interesting books there."

"I know; I've gone through most of the mechanics' section already. Did you just bring back something from the blank section?"

"Yes, I wasn't sure what I could and couldn't take so I just took this to write in."

Shulk nodded. "You can take any book, just make sure to bring it back. I'm not sure if there's a certain date you have to bring it back by, but it seems that you can read the book at your own pace."

"That's good to know."

A comfortable silence fell between them. The waning sun was turning the room orange and it was quite a sight. A long while went by before any of them spoke.

"Can I tell you something?" Kallian asked.

"Of course."

Kalian took a deep breath. "I'm not a Homs."

He watched Shulk's eyes slowly widen. He prepared himself for whatever would come next.

"Are you High Entia then?"

"Yes, I am."

Shulk nodded. "I always thought High Entia were a myth," he started. "When I met you I had a feeling you weren't Homs, but I didn't ask."

Kallian let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding. He didn't know what he'd expected, but it was probably something much worse than this. "So it's not a problem?" he asked to make sure.

"Not at all," SHulk assured him.

There was another silence, but Shulk was the one to break it this time.

"Can _I_ tell you something?"

"Go ahead."

"I'm not sure how to say this and it still making sense so I'll just say it. There's someone else inside my head."

Kallian looked at Shulk in disbelief, but urged him to continue.

"I learnt yesterday that her name is Meyneth. Her presence is likely why I can't remember anything between my death and waking up here. Something must've happened to make me be the 'main' soul, but that's not really what matters. I can't hear her thoughts, but there's a part of me that's also a part of her. I can tell that there's something she desperately needs my body to do, but I have no idea what it could be. What I do know is that I want to help her."

Kalian took a moment to take it all in. He could feel Shulk's gaze on him, weighing his response.

"Has this Meyneth ever talked to you?"

"Only once before, when I first saw you at Believer's Paradise. She said I could trust you. Somehow I knew I could trust her and in turn, you."

"Well if there's something she has to do; I'll gladly help both of you in whatever it is."

"Thanks, that means a lot."

* * *

A few days later, Miqol called in the pair.

"Some stray mechon destroyed a part of the ether exhaust system," Miqol said. "We can fix it, but it will take a while. There's people at risk of not having enough ether to function in the mean time. I would like you to go look for the purest ether crystals you can find and bring them back. I hate to ask this of you two, but we don't have a choice."

"I understand," Shulk said. "It's not a problem."

"We'll be back as soon as we can," Kallian added.

"Thank you, we're counting on you," Miqol said.

The pair left Junks. At the house they were still sharing, they grabbed flasks and their weapons.

Shulk headed for Zakt spring to refill the flasks while Kallian, who's flight pack wasn't quite ready yet, went to the spot where they'd hidden their units. Once Shulk had finished, he flew there. Both ready, they headed for Bionis.

"The best place for ether crystals is Makna forest," Kallian said. "The falls there create extremely pure ether crystals."

"Then let's go."

They collected water crystals from the Great Makna Falls. They also collected ether of all types, just to be sure.

Kallian gave Shulk an express tour of sorts of the forest. At the end of the afternoon, they started to head back.

"Do you mind if we stop by Colony 6?" Kallian asked. "There's someone I'd like to see."

"Of course."

"You should stay back," Kallian said. "I'd rather do this on my own."

"Take your time."

Shulk noticed the splintered path and headed there. He left Ruby Face at the top and rode the lift down. He walked along the path and noticed the vague outline of Colony 9 far, far below.

Colony 9 was his old home, where he used to belong.

He didn't belong in Colony 9 now, not anymore.

* * *

Kallian entered the mines and noticed something was off. He kept going down and realised just how many mechon there were. He saw a boy being held up by a pair of mechon.

"Xord," he said sternly. "What did you do?"

The one in question turned toward him. "Pearl? Where have you been?"

"I've been...busy," Kallian replied in the best way he could.

"Were you somewhere safe?" Xord asked.

"Yes, I was. You could come along, Xord. You wouldn't have to live like this, just surveying the ether extraction."

"I'm better off here than wherever you ended up," Xord declared. "You deserve to live, so go."

"What are you talking about?"

"Just get out of here, kid," Xord said. "I'll cover for you, tell _them_ that you were brought down by some Homs. You go out there and enjoy your freedom. Protect whatever Colony it is you came from. Stop them from doing what they did to us to anyone else."

"Xord…" Kallian didn't want to leave him behind. Even if he hadn't listened to his stories much, but he still cared about him. He didn't want him to be stuck down here. "You can come along."

"I can't Pearl, I've done too much bad already," Xord said. "I'm not like you. I'm in much less control of my unit. So go, leave this place and never come back."

Kallian knew he'd lost this argument before it had begun, but it had been worth a try.

"Be careful Xord," Kallian replied.

"I'll see you around, kid. Take care of yourself."

Reluctantly, Kallian turned to leave.

He was almost at the freight elevator when Xord shouted.

"I never got your actual name."

"My name is Kallian."

"It was nice knowing you, Kallian."

"It was an honour working with you."

Kallian left the mines without looking back. Both he and Xord knew this would be likely be the last time they met. They also knew that if they did meet again, it would be as enemies.

 **Author's notes:** After almost a month of not being able to update, I'm back! Sorry about that. My exams are far from over though (who's idea was it to spread out final exams over three months?) so the update schedule will still be almost non existent for a while. Below are replies to your reviews.

 **Xenoemblem4TW:** Yeah, poor Juju, things never seem to go really for him. That part of this chapter I actually spent about a week on, so I hope it turned out alright.

Fiorung: ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

As usual, thanks for reading!


	11. 11- Colony 6

11- Colony 6

Dunban, Fiora and Reyn led the refugees back to Colony 9. It wasn't that long of a walk. Soon enough, everyone in the colony knew about the refugees. Almost immediately, work started to welcome them. Empty houses were cleaned out and those that had empty rooms offered them. The cooks in the commercial district worked together to prepare a feast. By sun wane, every single refugee had a warm bed and an even warmer meal. While the colony was in a generally good and hearty mood, there was one thing that the arrival of the refugees meant that no one wanted to say out loud: the fall of Colony 6 meant that there was only one Homs colony left.

* * *

Later that week, Elinor, Anson, Sharla, Juju, Dunban, Reyn and Fiora were gathered at the kitchen table. A councilman had just left. He'd wanted to send a small group to go see the what exactly the situation was at Colony 6. It had been decided that Dunban, as well as any recruit he wanted to bring along would come with.

"Who will you bring?" Elinor asked.

"Reyn and Fiora," he replied, "the smaller of a group we are, the less chance we have to get detected. Not to mention we have anti-mechon weapons."

"I'll come along, if you don't mind," Sharla said. "You'll need a guide."

"Then I'll come too," Juju declared.

"No you aren't," Sharla shot him down, "it's way too dangerous. You'll be safer here."

Their argument went on for a while, with no end in sight. Eventually, Dunban put an end to it by saying that Juju could come along if and only if he stayed back when there was danger.

Juju cheered and Sharla sighed, but everyone knew he would've found a way to come along anyway.

"We'll leave tomorrow early in the morning, be ready," Dunban declared.

* * *

The following morning, they met up by Dunban's house as the sun started to appear in the sky. They made one last check to make sure they had everything and set off toward Colony 6.

They ran into trouble in Tephra Cave; the missing animals having come back. They weren't too dangerous, thankfully. They moved through the cave, on guard.

As they neared the exit, a swarm of arachnos attacked them. They fought them off surprisingly easily since they were leaderless and disorganised.

They reached the knee around noon. They rested and ate. They set off for Gaur plain half an hour later.

They tiptoed around ponyos and armus, wanting to avoid confrontation. However, they somehow didn't notice the gogol roaming the plain. It chased them until they reached the Rho Oasis. They took another short break there and continued on.

"So tell me more about this Ruby that helped you," Dunban said to start the conversation. "How did you first meet him?"

"There were mechon that had gotten too close to the camp for comfort," Sharla explained, "so anyone who was in shape to fight went to get rid of them. We were doing a decent job, but it was getting too dangerous so I was about to call a retreat. Then Ruby came along and destroyed them all before I could blink."

"He sounds strong," Reyn said.

"He must've had an anti-mechon weapon," Fiora concluded. "What did it look like?"

"Nothing like the ones you have," Juju answered. "It was two red swords."

"If Dickson didn't make them," Dunban wondered, "then who?"

"I can't tell you," Sharla said. "But they were effective, that's for sure. They tore through mechon armour as if it were butter. They were far better than anything the defence force had for the Battle of Sword Valley."

"Indeed," Dunban agreed. "It could've been won with much less casualties, but it's no use to dwell on the past."

"Yeah, who knows? Maybe we'll run into the one that made them one day," Reyn added.

"A fair point," Dunban turned to Sharla. "Did Ruby mention where he came from?"

"Apparently, there's a small colony in Makna forest," Sharla replied. "From what he told me, after the colonies in the upper Bionis were destroyed, some wanted to make a new place to live, so they founded a colony there while others carried on to colonies 6 and 9."

"Odd we've never heard of it," Dunban said, "but plausible, especially since the only way to Makna forest is with a hover transport."

"What did he look like, Ruby, I mean?" Reyn asked out of curiosity.

"He had this heavy black cloak he always wore," Sharla replied, "about this tall," Sharla put her hand at her eye-level, "with blonde hair and blue eyes."

"He had red gauntlets, too," Juju added.

"Hmm," Dunban said, "can't say I know anyone alive who matches that description. Let's keep an eye out for this Ruby. We might run into him if he stayed in the area."

Reyn and Fiora had fallen quiet. Shulk was dead. This Ruby, like many others, had blonde hair and blue eyes, just like Shulk. But Shulk was dead.

Sharla noticed the sudden gloom that overcame the pair and decided to do something about it.

"If it makes you feel any better," she said, "Juju and I lost our parents to the mechon when we were young. When colony 6 was attacked, the commander of the defense force ordered us to take as many people as we could on the evac ships. I didn't want to because it meant leaving my fiancé, Gadolt, behind. In the end, he's the one who insisted I go; he said he felt safer with me out of the colony, that it would help him fight."

"I'm so sorry," Fiora said. _How was that supposed to make us feel better?_ she wondered.

"Even if there's been no news of him," Sharla continued, "I know he's still alive somewhere, I can feel it."

"Maybe we'll run into him in Colony 6!" Reyn cheered.

"Yeah, maybe," Sharla agreed.

"I don't think there's anyone in this world who hasn't lost a loved one to the mechon," Dunban said. "In that sense, we all share the same pain."

"That's one way to look at it," Sharla commented, "but it's painfully true."

"That's why the mechon have to be stopped," Reyn declared, "we can't let this world have anymore people who have lost everything to those machines."

"Hear hear," Fiora agreed.

They kept walking and eventually found the path that led to the refugee camp. They debated stopping there for the night, but they still had at least three hours of sunlight left, so they kept going.

They crossed Raguel bridge and followed the safer, upper path.

"Colony 6 is that way," Sharla said as she pointed to a tunnel. Once we're through, it's about an n hour walk to the colony."

"We should find a place to rest then," Dunban replied. "We don't want to be exhausted when we reach it."

"Hmm, fair point," Sharla agreed, before pointing to a rock formation that protruded from the ground. "Spiral Valley is over there, if we stay on the upper floor, we should be safe for the night. Watch your step though; it's a long way down."

They headed toward the valley, Juju walking slightly ahead of the group. As soon as they'd crossed the bridge, without a warning, a tentacle emerged from the ground and grabbed Juju. The mechon it belonged to then dropped from the ceiling and attacked.

Dunban, Reyn, Fiora and Sharla drew their weapons. They had to get Juju back safely.

They spread out around the mechon. Fiora was behind it and used Butterfly Step as often as she could while Dunban and Reyn juggled the aggro. They managed to avoid the other tentacles that were emerging from the ground. Sharla hung back, healing when necessary and shooting off ether rounds when it wasn't.

After awhile, the mechon moved to the floor above.

"It'll be able to attack from the ceiling if we stay here" Dunban declared, "let's go."

"We're coming Juju!" Sharla screamed.

They ran up the spiral and the battle continued. They finally managed to deactivate the mechon and freed Juju, who was thankfully unharmed.

Sharla hugged Juju tightly. Reyn and Dunban pushed the mechon over the edge and watched it shatter as it landed below: it wouldn't reactivate any time soon.

Suddenly, they heard the sound of an engine and looked in the sky. A faced mechon landed and stared them down. Its armour was bulkier and thicker than the one that had attacked colony 9, that had taken Shulk away from them.

"Well, what do we have here?" It spoke, unlike the other Faced Mechon. "Oh I recognise you! You're those runts that took out Metal Face's eye a while back. With the way he was talking I was imagining some big bad monsters, but look at you! You're just tiny little pathetic things!"

They tried to fight it, they truly did, but even their anti-mechon weapons had no effect. They attempted to organise a chain attack, but it didn't let them a second to breathe.

Eventually it grew tired and wildly swung the air instead of attacking. The Mysterious Face advanced toward Juju, who had been separated from the group. They could only watch in horror as it grabbed him. Juju tried to break free, but the mechon truly had an iron grip.

"Juju!" Sharla shouted.

"You pile of junk!" Reyn exclaimed, running forward. "Let him go!"

His attack only bounced off his armour. The mysterious face laughed. Smaller mechon fell from the sky. Reyn took care of them while Fiora kept the faced one busy.

It aimed to smash its hammer down on her, but Sharla shot it, which forced to the side just enough for it to miss.

"Reyn!" Sharla shouted, "now!"

He took it as his cue to attack the hand that was holding on the Juju, but, just like before, his attacks only bounced off.

"That was fun for awhile," the faced mechon jumped into the air and came crashing back down. "But now I'm bored!"

The strength of the hammer coming down pushed them away.

Juju screamed for Sharla.

"Time to finish you off!" The mechon exclaimed, raising its hammer in the air. As it was about to bring it down, the red lights that traveled through his armour turned green. He lowered his hammer. "Looks like my time here's up." He began to back away. "It's your lucky day, but that luck won't last forever." He laughed and showed off Juju the same way a child shows off a new toy. "I'll keep hold of this brat. If you want him back, you better come to Colony 6. But you'll have to be quick, I'm feeling hungry."

"You're gonna pay!" Reyn exclaimed.

Mysterious face laughed. "I can't wait to grind you all to dust!" It flew off, Juju screaming for Sharla.

They ran after the mysterious face that was taking Juju away. They ran until they reached the tunnel to Colony 6. Dunban stopped them there.

"I know we have to get Juju, but we won't get far with how exhausted we are," Dunban declared.

"Colony 6 is just ahead," Sharla said, "we can get in through the draining outlet of the mine. We can rest at the supply post there."

"I know none of us want to rest," Fiora added, "but we have to. We've been walking all day and the last thing we need is for someone to collapse while we're in the mines."

"Let's go, we have no time to lose."

They reached the draining outlet as the sun waned and disappeared. They took turns taking guard, but no one truly got a good night's sleep.

0o0

The sun was only starting to appear when Dunban, Fiora, Reyn and Sharla awoke in the drainage shaft. They were all aware of the time they'd wasted resting instead of rescuing Juju, but they wouldn't have gotten far if they hadn't stopped to rest. They made up with lost time by quickly traveling through the tunnels of the mine.

Sharla lead them; she knew the mines better than she knew the back of her hand. They ran into more mechon than they'd liked, but thanks to the anti-mechon weapons and Sharla's ether rounds, they made quick work of the mechanical invaders.

They had been in the mine for about four or five hours when they reached the central pit.

"It's likely that the faced mechon is down there," Sharla said, "it's the only place where he would actually fit."

"Then let's go," Dunban declared, "be on your guard, everyone."

They all headed down the pit. They met even more mechon resistance than they had earlier in the mine. It hopefully meant they were getting closer to their goal, to that mechon, to Juju.

When they were almost at the bottom, they saw another Faced Mechon below. It was seemingly talking with mysterious face, but they couldn't make it out.

"Let's hurry," Sharla declared.

They reached the bottom a few minutes later. The other faced mechon was gone, but the bronze faced one was there, waiting.

"Ah, here at last!" Said an unfortunately familiar voice. "I've been getting hungry."

"Juju and the others!" Sharla shouted, "tell me where they are!"

Mysterious face laughed. "You want the brat? He's right here." He pointed above, where Juju was being held up by three smaller mechon. "He's still alive, but don't think he will be for long! As for the others… I just couldn't help myself. I ate them all up!"

They should've expected as much. It had been nearly four months since the last contact from Colony 6. The chances of there still being survivors had been low, but now… Those mechon were going to pay.

"Welcome to our banquet hall! Tonight, the main course will be… You!" He pointed to Homs. "And if I've still got room, the brat will make for a tasty dessert!" I'm Xord, your host tonight."

"Xord…" Dunban repeated. "You have a name."

"Sure I do, we all do," Xord replied. He twitched a little.

"What is he talking about?" Fiora muttered.

Sharla took a moment to compose herself. The colony 6 defence force, the civilians, they were all… "Gadolt, the others…"

Xord laughed. "Come one boys, dinner's ready!" A swarm of small mechon advanced toward the Homs.

The defence force had died protecting the colony, but it hadn't meant anything. The colony had still fallen to the mechon. Everyone she knew was gone.

"I swear I won't stop until I've scraped each and everyone of you!" Sharla aimed for the smaller that were approaching, dispatching them without a problem. Fiora, Reyn and Dunban backed her up.

"Reyn, Sharla, Dunban," Fiora declared. "We are Homs. We won't just stand here, waiting to be killed by these mechon! We fight. For colony 6!"

"Anti-mechon weapons?" Those things can't dent me." Xord taunted.

The battle began. Dunban and Reyn focused on keeping the aggro away from the girls. Fiora circled around it, keeping the mechon it was calling at bay and using butterfly step on him whenever she could. Sharla helped her, healing when she could and firing off ether rounds both at the smaller mechon and at Xord. Their weapons were still bouncing off of his armour, but they'd come into this battle ready.

They managed to organise a chain attack and toppled Xord. While their weapons did nothing normally, it worked now. Dunban kept it toppled for as long as he could while the others did as much damage as possible.

Eventually, they managed to beat Xord. As if realising the fall of their master, the mechon holding Juju lowered themselves and let him go. Reyn and Sharla rushed to him.

Fiora and Dunban stayed back, keeping an eye on Xord and making sure he wasn't going to reactivate.

The machine whirred back to life. Fiora and Dunban prepared themselves to fight again. Xord didn't move, but he did speak.

"When I became what you see now," he began, "my eyes were opened. I finally understood the goal of the mechon and I wanted to help in any way I could, make the Bionis pay for what it had done. It was good while it lasted."

"When you became like this?" Dunban repeated. "What do you mean?"

Xord continued, either ignoring or unaware of Dunban. "I attacked colony 6. Ate its residents. It was what I'd been programmed and told to do. I can't possibly ask for forgiveness, but I do ask this. After this colony and the mines were taken, someone else came to help out. His name was Pearl no, Kallian. He's a sweet kid, I could tell he didn't want to hurt anyone even if his programming was telling him to. I killed so he wouldn't have to, I ate the people of the colony so he wouldn't have to. He's far away now, somewhere safe where the mechon can't reach. So if you ever run into him, don't hurt him. Tell him I said goodbye."

"What are you talking about?" Fiora asked him. "Who's Kallian?"

Xord didn't answer. The lights that went across his body turned dark, never to turn on again. Fiora couldn't help the wave of sadness that overcame her, but she quickly pushed it away. That _thing_ had killed countless people from Colony 6. It didn't deserve forgiveness.

She looked at Dunban. She couldn't read his expression, but she had a feeling he felt the same.

Sharla and Reyn had stopped in their tracks to listen to the mechon, but they quickly turned back to Juju.

He was unconscious, but alive. Reyn turned to Sharla.

"What's the fastest way out of here?"

"The freight elevator, one floor up," she replied. "I'm not sure if it still works."

"We'll find out when we get there," Reyn shrugged.

Reyn carried Juju and they headed for the elevator. Thankfully, it still worked. They were almost out of the mines.

The elevator jerked, but kept going up. They were outside of the mines. It was dark out now and it was raining, but they were safe and that was all that really mattered.

Juju stirred and woke up. Reyn put him down gently.

"I'm so glad you're safe Juju," Sharla exclaimed as she hugged him tightly.

"I'm sorry I got caught by that mechon," he apologised.

"Nah, kid, it's alright," Reyn assured him. "If it's anyone's fault, it's ours for not keeping a good enough eye on you."

"Yeah, don't worry about it Juju," Fiora joined in. "You weren't hurt, so it's no big deal."

"Not to mention that with their leader dead, the mechon stationed here have been weakened. We can take Colony 6 back from them," Dunban declared.

"Yeah," Juju said.

"Is something wrong?" Sharla asked.

"There was another Faced Mechon that came while I was in the mines," he explained. "They talked for a while. I think the other one was trying to convince Xord to leave with him, but Xord refused. He also said 'Stop them from doing what they did to us to anyone else'. What do you think he meant by that?"

Sharla, Dunban, Reyn and Fiora exchanged glances, suddenly uneasy.

"Did they say anything else?" Fiora asked.

"I don't know, I didn't understand them that well, but I think that other mechon really wanted Xord to come along with him."

"Could it have been that Kallian he told us about before he died?" Fiora wondered.

"Yes! That's it!" Juju exclaimed. "Xord called that other mechon Kallian!"

"If we ever meet this Kallian," Dunban declared, "we'll have to prioritise talking over fighting."

"Well, if we even recognise him, that is," Fiora added. "Who knows how many Faced Mechon there are out there."

"Anyway," Sharla intervened, "we can talk about this once we're back in Colony 9."

"Sharla's right," Reyn said. "Let's head back."

It was nearly three in the morning and pouring rain when they set off. They'd decided that they would stop for rest at the old refugee camp. It would be a long walk, but it would be safer if they rested somewhere far from Colony 6.

They froze when they heard the unfortunatley familiar noise of a large mechon's engine.

"Hope I'm not interrupting."


	12. 12- Unfinished Battle

Shulk heard a mechon's engine passing nearby. He assumed it was Kallian, so he didn't think much of it, until he realised that he was hearing multiple engines and that they were approaching fast.

He saw a large group of mechon below. It separated in two. One group moved to be above the remains of Colony 6 while a single large mechon approached from below.

Shulk recognised the mechon immediately. He felt ghost pain in his shoulder and chest just seeing it. Metal Face.

His entire body screamed at him to get out of there. Metal Face was out of sight. Shulk figured he could safely get back to Ruby Face, contact Kallian and _get out._

He started running toward the lift. He hoped it made him stand out less than flying. Unfortunately, it didn't.

A green faced mechon came crashing down in front of him and stared him down. It was roughly ten meters tall and had massive cannons attached to its sides. It blocked Shulk's path to the lift. There was no choice but to fight.

It wasn't attacking him yet, which he was thankful for, but he knew it wouldn't last long.

There was something odd about that mechon though; the way he looked at Shulk. He couldn't tell what though.

"I must eliminate any threat to Lord Egil," the mechon said. There was no tone to his voice. _Brainwashing_ , Shulk realised. "That includes you, Ruby Face."

" _Buy me some time_ ," he heard Meyneth's voice echo in his head. " _I can free him_."

Shulk nodded in agreement. He drew his swords. He wondered if he even stood a chance outside of Ruby Face. He had a feeling he was about to find out.

0o0

Dunban, Reyn and Fiora froze when they heard _his_ voice. He crashed down in front of them. Metal Face. The one that had taken Shulk away from them.

"It's him," Reyn said, the reality of it sinking in as he said it. "Metal Face."

"And he's not alone!" Sharla shouted as other mechon fell from the sky. There were regular ones, but quite a few looked exactly like Xord.

"Pathetic!" Metal Face exclaimed. "After all that talk, Xord and Pearl were taken down by a bunch of worthless maggots like _you_."

"This one can talk as well," Dunban said matter-of-factly.

"Who's Pearl?" Fiora wondered.

Metal Face didn't hear Fiora, though. "Oh, I can talk alright." He stared at Fiora, Reyn and Dunban, seemingly ignoring Sharla and Juju. "And I've got a good memory! 'Shulk, no! Get away from there! Get out!'" He laughed. "His screams and yours were music to my ears when I sliced through him. Like a hot knife through butter."

"Damn you!" Reyn shouted as he charged, Fiora following close behind.

Metal Face easily blocked their attack. "Anti-mechon weapons, eh? It's been awhile. But you should know that those toys don't work on me!" He pushed them back, sending them flying through the air.

"Fiora! Reyn!" Dunban exclaimed as he ran to their side. He and Sharla helped them to their feet.

"Anyway you slice it, your weapons ain't gonna work," Metal Face paused, seemingly for dramatic effect. "Now, time to cut you down to size!"

He raised his claws, ready to kill.

0o0

After leaving the mines, Kallian had slowly headed down the path. He'd wanted to appreciate the scenery here one last time. He realised something and went for the gate blocking the path between Colony 6 and the cliff face.

Once there, he drew his sword and cut a hole through it, Now, at least, Homs could get through and have easier access to the mines and the marsh beyond the path.

He called Shulk to tell him he was done with what he had to do, but there was no response. Instead, he heard noises coming from below. He approached the edge of the cliff and saw a faced Mechon standing in front of a small group of Homs. His breath caught in his throat as he recognised it. How could he forget the face of the one that had killed him?

Metal Face had pushed back a pair of Homs and was now preparing to kill them. Kallian refused to let that happen. He took his gun, aimed and shot.

0o0

Dunban, Sharla, Fiora, Reyn and Juju were all surprised when instead of lowering its claws on them, Metal face received ether shots to its side.

"What the...?" he muttered.

They looked in the direction the shots had come from and saw another faced mechon standing there, its gun pointed at Metal Face. It had an almost pearl-like finish to it. Fiora wondered if this was the Pearl Metal Face had talked about earlier.

Pearl slid down the cliff and placed itself between them and Metal Face.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Metal Face asked.

"Does it matter?" Pearl replied before turning to the Homs. "Take care of the others, this one's mine."

0o0

Shulk had been right; he didn't stand much of a chance against this Faced mechon outside of his own. He decided to do something that was very possibly one of, if not the stupidest thing he'd ever done. He sheathed his swords and decided to talk it out. Meyneth still needed more time. He had no idea what she was doing, but there was a faint red glow that was starting to surround him.

"What's your name?" he asked the mechon.

The mechon paused and started him down. "Why should it matter?" his voice boomed, much louder than Shulk had anticipated. "The only things that matters is the realisation of the will of Lord Egil."

Shulk stopped to think. He'd heard of Egil from Miqol and other villagers. It seemed he was now directly controlling the faced mechon, or, at least, brainwashing them. That definitely was _not_ good. He took a deep breath and continued.

"All that matters to me is your name." Maybe, just maybe, if he could get this mechon to remember its name before all this he could get through to him.

"G..." the mechon spoke, seemingly fighting against the brainwashing. "Gadolt," he said quickly, "My name is Gadolt." He paused. "I no longer need that name. All I need to do is to follow the will of Lord Egil. I was given this body of steel so I could do just that."

"Your name is Gadolt." Shulk knew he needed just a little more time. "You were given that body of steel so you could be Egil's puppet!"

"No, that's not…"

Shulk cut him off. "You died and were given a second chance at life. Do you really want to waste that chance being someone's puppet? Are you really going to help those that took everything from you? That destroyed your home? Killed your family? Are you just going to let them turn more people into mechon? Are you going to accept everything they tell you as truth? Or are you going to fight for everything you believed in before you became what you are now?"

As Shulk talked, the red aura started swirling around him.

" _Good_ ," Meyneth declared. " _Leave the rest to me_."

He felt her trying to take control of his body and he let her.

0o0

Sharla, Dunban, Reyn and Fiora fought against the smaller mechon. Juju stayed back. They could handle the smaller ones, but the bigger ones would have been like fighting Xord over and over. At least Pearl was keeping Metal Face busy.

Kallian found himself equally matched with Metal Face. For a brief moment, he looked in the sky and saw something. Said thing was green with glowing yellow stripes. A telethia.

He wondered what one was doing this far down Bionis, but he also remembered that they could bring down any machine with a single zap.

Kallian, remembering he was now part machine, decided it was a good idea to _leave._

He jumped in the air, switched to flight mode and scampered off.

Briefly, the Homs felt betrayed by Pearl's retreat until a _thing_ came down and zapped most of the mechon. Most of them deactivated.

"A telethia?" Metal Face exclaimed.

It passed by again, specifically aiming for Metal Face, who managed to dodge every zap but the last one.

"Damn it." He turned to the Homs, "You won't be so lucky next time."

Metal Face and the remaining mechon flew off.

"Get back here!" Fiora shouted, running after it.

"We're not done with you!" Reyn followed.

"Fiora! Reyn!" Dunban called them. "Let it go."

"But he's the one that killed Shulk!" Reyn argued.

"I know," Dunban replied, "you'll get your chance, but right now, we don't stand a chance against him or any other Faced Mechon."

"He's right, Reyn," Fiora agreed.

In the sky, the thing that had saved them was flying away, toward the upper regions of Bionis.

"What just happened?" Sharla asked with a mixture of shock and amazement.

"I don't know," Dunban replied, "but that thing, whatever it is, saved us."

"What _was_ that?" Reyn wondered.

"Metal Face said it was a telethia," Fiora answered.

"I've heard of those from Dickson and Anson," Dunban said. "They protect the Bionis."

"They must protect us Homs too, then," Juju added.

"Yeah," Sharla agreed. "Let's head back, we'll rest at the refugee camp."

"That sounds like a great idea. Let's get going everyone," Fiora declared.

0o0

Meyneth walked toward Gadolt, fearless, her eyes glowing the same red as the aura surrounding her. She floated above the ground and released the aura, sending a massive wave of pure energy toward Gadolt.

He was ejected from his unit and landed harshly on the ground. He found himself free of any influence from Egil. He looked up Meyneth, who approached him.

"Thank you," he said, gratitude obvious on his face, "Thank you so much."

"Never again will Egil be able to force you to do his bidding," she told him.

"But where can I go?" he asked. "Colony 6 is no more."

Shulk wanted to speak up and was surprised when he heard his own voice instead of Meyneth's. "You can come with us," he declared and held out his hand. "It's safe. The people there are kind and welcoming. It's not much, but it's home."

Gadolt took his hand and pulled himself up. He gave Shulk a grin. "Then let's get going. Egil has to pay for what he did to me-no, to us."

0o0

Kallian flew toward Bionis Leg. He'd tried getting in contact with Shulk again, but still nothing.

Right before he passed over the tunnel that led out of Colony 6, he saw a flash of red light below. He dove toward it.

He saw Shulk standing in front of another Faced mechon. There was someone else standing with him, likely the pilot of that mechon. There was no tension between them. Kallian landed behind Shulk and left Pearl Face.

He walked toward the pair, noticing the red aura surrounding Shulk. "What did I miss?" He asked as he joined them.

Shulk turned to him, his eyes glowing an eerie red. "Egil's brainwashing faced mechon, we freed him from that."

Kallian wanted to question the "we", but knew he was talking about Meyneth, who was also likely the cause of the aura.

"I'm Gadolt," the other pilot held out his hand.

Kallian shook it. "I'm Kallian, welcome to the team."

Kallian didn't realise how lucky he was. Compared to Gadolt, he got off easy when it came to being turned into a mechon. Gadolt was missing an eye and his armour was mixed in with his skin.

"We should probably wait before leaving," Shulk said. The red aura had faded and his eyes were back to being blue. There was no sign that Meyneth had been there just a few moments ago. "We don't want to run into those other mechon."

"Metal Face is probably wondering where I went," Gadolt said.

"I'd rather not have a run in with him," Shulk added, looking uneasy.

"I'd gladly tear him apart and find out who's hiding in that unit," Kallian said.

Shulk and Gadolt stared at him in disbelief. Kallian realised it probably wasn't the best first impression to make with someone.

"He's the one who killed me," he clarified.

Gadolt made a sound of positive acknowledgement.

"He killed me too," Shulk simply said.

"Even more reason to want to tear him apart."

Shulk shrugged. "Don't get me wrong, I _do_ want him dead, but… I don't think I can bring myself to kill another Homs."

"I know what you mean, kid," Gadolt said. "But there are some people that simply enjoy hurting others, and people like that shouldn't be allowed to live free, let alone control a faced mechon."

"You're right," Shulk agreed.

"You should probably bring your face unit down here," Gadolt suggested. "It'll be better hidden."

"Right, I'll go get it."

Shulk made it about three steps and half before being stopped by Gadolt.

"You do know you can control it from a distance, right?"

"You can?"

"You didn't know?"

"No, I never thought to try that."

"It's something we know from the start," Gadolt said slowly. "How could you not know?"

"I can't remember anything from before I came crashing down from Galahad fortress," Shulk shrugged. "I'm not even sure if I was in proper service."

"Oh you were in service all right," Gadolt replied. "You never talked, but you were _very_ efficient. I think you were turned off for maintenance when the fortress exploded. You usually don't remember being turned off when you're turned back on, so that could explain a part of it."

"That does make sense."

Shulk concentrated and he found that it took barely any effort to get the unit to move. He had it fly down and parked it by Pearl Face.

"We can't stay too long though," Shulk declared. "We have some ether crystals to deliver."

"Right!" Kallian exclaimed. "I almost forgot about that."

0o0

The Homs headed toward the refugee camp. It was a long walk, but it would be safer than to camp out in the open.

"What happened to the gate?" Sharla asked when they reached it. "Did the mechon destroy it?"

"Looks like it," Reyn replied.

"But why?" Fiora wondered.

"Who knows what those machines are thinking," Reyn shrugged.

"At least it's open," Dunban said, "let's keep going."

They walked for a few minutes when they saw something ahead. It was placed right next to the lift that lead to the splintered path below.

"Is that...?" Fiora pointed to it.

"It's a mechon," Dunban said. "It has a face too, by the looks of it."

"It looks deactivated," Reyn commented. "What is it doing here?"

"Let's hope it doesn't see us," Sharla added.

"Let's stay as far away as we can," Dunban declared.

They moved closer to the other end of the cliff, hoping they were far enough.

Suddenly, the mechon whirred back to life and red lights started traveling across it. It stood up and the group prepared to fight. It walked forward a few steps before flying off toward the splintered path.

There was a silence for a moment. They were trying to understand what they'd just seen.

"Let's just get out of here," Fiora declared.

0o0

Shulk, Kallian and Gadolt had decided to wait until dawn before heading off, just to be safe. They sat down as if they were around a campfire, but didn't dare to make one. They talked about anything and everything to pass the time.

"So how did you two meet?" Gadolt asked.

"The first time I saw Pearl Face," Shulk started, "I thought he'd been sent to kill me. But then Meyneth- the one who's responsible for the red aura earlier- told me he was trustworthy, so I brought him back to the village with me. Since she saved you, I'm guessing she wants us to bring you along too."

"That kind of blind trust is going to get you killed one day," Gadolt said, shaking his head.

"That's what I'm here for," Kallian added. "To make sure nothing bad happens to him."

Shulk gently punched him in the arm. "Hey! I can take care of myself!"

"Sure," It was obvious he was mainly joking, but there was also truth in his teasing.

Silence fell over them and Shulk as the one to break it.

"Why were you and Metal Face sent here?" he asked Gadolt.

"For you. A report came in that you'd been spotted in the Bionis leg area and that you'd survived and that you'd seemingly gone rogue. Our mission was to see if you hadn't and bring you back with us."

"And he had?" Kallian asked, already knowing the answer.

"To take you down," Gadolt replied grimly.

"Well good thing it didn't have to come to that," Shulk said to lighten the mood.

"Though I don't get why Metal Face strayed from the mission," Gadolt said.

"I've never had the...chance to work with him," Kallian added, "but I've heard he's quite volatile on missions. It seems to work in his favour though."

"If he's the volatile one," Shulk started, "why were _you_ the one brainwashed? Why weren't you both brainwashed? The completion of the mission would've been guaranteed. It seems odd on Egil's part."

"Who knows what he was thinking," Gadolt shrugged. "What was Metal Face doing up there, anyway?"

"He was attacking some Homs before I intervened," Kallian replied. "I didn't hear what he was saying, but it seemed like he really hated them, like he'd known them before."

"That's possible," Shulk said. "What were their weapons like?"

"Blue blades of light of varying shapes," Kallian described. "One of them had a sword, another double knives and the last one had… I think it was a shield of some sort."

"Anti-mechon weapons," Gadolt and Shulk said at the same time.

"They only seemed to work on the normal mechon though; they did nothing to the faced ones," Kallian added.

"That's odd," Gadolt commented.

"Anti-mechon weapons work because ether can damage mechon normally. The process is complicated and quite dangerous, but ether crystals are crafted specifically for this and are purified and concentrated into blades. Then the crystals are placed in specially designed handles, usually made out of mechon armour, to maximise the effect of the blade. They damage mechon without problem, but a big flaw in the design is that they can't damage anything made out of ether," Shulk explained. "The mechon, no Egil's way of counteracting this was to create Faced Mechon. Since our blood, who's building block is ether, flows through our mechon, our armour can't be damaged by those weapons."

"That sounds about right," Gadolt said. "How do you know all that?"

"I was part of the team that designed them," Shulk answered.

"Oh."

They continued to talk through the night, passing the time. When dawn came, they stood up, stretched, went into their units and headed off toward the Fallen Arm.


	13. 13- Life Goes On

**Author's notes:** *Throws silly hat into the air* I'm free! Summer is here (and has been since I posted chapter 12, I just forgot to add author's notes, oops) so updates will be more frequent! I'm hoping to be able to post chapters weekly or every other week, so keep an eye out for that. I would highly recommend reading this chapter while listening to "Nothing left to say" by Imagine Dragons and/or "Sacrifice" by Zella Day. It's the songs I listened to while writing and they really set the mood. Enjoy!

* * *

"Was sending a telethia to the lower regions really necessary?" A woman asked the man beside her, clearly annoyed.

"It was," the man replied, ignoring her annoyance. "We learnt a few valuable things."

"Like?"

"The girl, as expected, is perfect for the role. Her energy matches his perfectly, but her brother could also take the torch should things go wrong."

"We already knew that."

"We weren't completely sure. There is now no doubt on the matter. We also learnt something about those mechon as well."

"Which ones? The ones with the faces?"

"Yes, those. It seems our enemy is putting people inside of them."

"What?"

"I'm not entirely sure of this, but both the telethia and I felt the prince's energy coming from one the mechon."

"Are you sure? The prince is dead."

"It was his energy, I'm certain of that."

"If that's the case, things are about to get interesting."

"They are."

0o0

Fiora, Dunban, Reyn, Sharla and Juju returned to Colony 9 without any problems.

Dunban told the others to head home and that he would give in the report.

While Dunban did that, Fiora and the rest of the group headed to her home. There wasn't much else to do. It was almost noon, so she started preparing lunch for everyone.

"So," Sharla started, "who's that Shulk you mentioned?"

"He was a wonderful person," Fiora replied. "He was smart, kind…"

"He was the best friend we had but not the best friend we deserved," Reyn continued.

Fiora coughed to interrupt him. "But he was also incredibly…" she paused, trying to find the right word, "oblivious. He was determined, too. Determined to save his friends, no matter what. He succeeded, but it cost him his life."

"That mechon when we left the mines; he's the one who killed Shulk," Reyn said. "He carried him off on his claws like he was some kind of trophy. He has to pay for what he's done."

"I'm so sorry," Sharla said. Her words felt empty. "Did you love him?" she regretted saying it before the words had left her mouth.

"Yes," Fiora and Reyn answered at the same time.

0o0

Once Dunban was done giving in his report, he decided to pass by the weapon development lab. There, he saw Elinor working at her desk in the back.

"Welcome back," she greeted him without turning. "How did it go?"

"It went well, more or less," Dunban replied. "We ran into more faced mechon."

She turned to him. "Did the anti-mechon weapons work?"

"They did not. Our attacks simply bounced off as if we were using wooden weapons."

"Odd. If I had a sample of its armour maybe…" She paused to gather her thoughts. Dunban could see the gears turning behind her eyes. "Maybe I could figure out why our current weapons do nothing and fix it."

"Indeed," Dunban agreed. "But getting a fragment of that armour is easier said than done. Unless…"

"Go on."

"We managed to destroy one in Colony 6, would that do?"

"Yes, definitely."

"I'll be sure to have parts of its armour sent to you when we pass by Colony 6 on the way to Valak mountain."

"You're still going?"

"We haven't talked about it, but I know that we still have to go. Especially since now we know that anti-mechon weapons have no effect on the faced ones, the Monado could be our only hope."

"Indeed. Just be careful out there. Experienced adventurers went to into Valak mountain and never came back, I'd hate if that happened to you."

"Of course," Dunban assured her. "I'll make sure nothing happens to us."

He looked around the lab, which was a mess as per usual. There were parts of one of Elinor's current projects scattered around the room. He'd never really understood what she was working on; something about being able to get from one district to another in seconds. She'd reached a standstill though, so she'd started doing what Shulk's job had been, which was fixing things for people around the colony and making weapons.

"Would you and the others like to join us for supper tonight?" Elinor asked to break the silence.

"Of course, what's on the menu?"

"No idea," Elinor shrugged.

"We'll be there," Dunban declared. "I'll leave you to your work."

"See you later," Elinor said as she turned her attention back to the rifle she was working on.

0o0

Shulk, Kallian and Gadolt landed on the Fallen Arm.

During the flight, Shulk had called Miqol and told him about Gadolt. He knew that Linada would be waiting for them.

They arrived at Junks around noon, the trio carrying packs of ether crystals.

As Shulk and Kallian expected, Linada whisked Gadolt away to her office before he'd taken five steps in Junks. Thankfully, she still had that extra piezoelectric unit Shulk had gotten when he'd gotten Kallian's.

Miqol thanked them for the ether crystals. "Is it just me," he eventually said, "or every time we send you out you come back with someone else?"

Shulk shrugged. "You've only sent me out twice."

"And you've brought people back twice," Miqol said. The tone he was using reminded him of the one his mother would use when he, Reyn and Fiora go in trouble, but he knew that he wasn't.

"Well, Meyneth was the one to save Gadolt," Shulk said, "so you'll have to take this to her."

"I won't question Lady Meyneth's decision," Miqol shook his head. "Gadolt is free to stay here, but where will he live? The key to the other empty house still hasn't been found and I'm sure you two are already pretty cramped in yours."

"We do only have the couch and bed to sleep on, so I'm not sure where Gadolt would sleep," Kallian added.

"At this point, it might be for the best to take down the door of the vacant house and replace it instead of finding the key," Shulk suggested.

"Yes, that was the plan," Miqol said. "But for now, one of you will likely have to sleep on the floor."

"We'll figure something out," Kallian sighed.

"You two can leave, I'll handle the rest," Miqol declared. It took them a moment to realise he was talking about the ether crystals.

The pair left and headed home. Shulk only had a few minor adjustments left to make to Kallian's flight pack while Kallian had a lot to write down.

About an hour later, Shulk interrupted Kallian to make sure the pack would actually attach to his back while not getting in the way of his drones.

"That's what those are called?" Kallian had exclaimed after Shulk had muttered his explanation.

"What?"

"Drones," he clarified. "I never knew what they were called. I'm still not quite sure what they do."

"They're like backup weapons," Shulk explained. "Built just in case the pilot of a faced mechon has to fight outside of their unit and have nothing else to fight with. Yours seem to be a different model than mine, though, so I can't really tell you what they do exactly."

"I'll go test them a little later."

"How about when I'm done with this?" Shulk said as he removed the pack from Kallian's back. "I might need to do more adjustments, so you'd be doing two birds in one stone."

"Good point," Kallian agreed. "When are you going to be done?"

"I'd say about half an hour? Shouldn't take long."

"Sounds good."

Shulk continued to work on the pack for about an hour. When he was done putting it on Kallian, Gadolt came into the house.

"Linada told me you two lived here," he explained before they could ask how he knew where they were.

"We're about to head out," Kallian said, "if you want to tag along."

"Of course."

"Then let's go give you the tour!" Shulk exclaimed as he headed out.

So they gave Gadolt the tour.

0o0

Dunban had brought Sharla, Juju, Reyn and Fiora along to the supper Elinor had invited him to.

Anson was in the front yard with the barbeque. It was covered, so Dunban could only assume it was pulled bunniv. It was one of Anson's classics.

"Welcome!" he greeted them with a smile. "I see Elinor invited you over, not that I mind. She should be back soon."

Anson's barbecue's were well known in Colony 9. Twice a month, he's take it out and make a ridiculous amount of food. Everyone was invited, including children and elders. While he never announced when he'd do it in advance, by the middle of the afternoon almost the entire colony was aware and by the end of the night, somehow, almost everyone had been fed. No one dared to ask him how he made so much or where it came from, considering he was rarely seen outside of the colony. When Fiora was younger, she, Shulk and Reyn had tried to figure out Anson's secret, and they had. Though to this day, they still hadn't told anyone what it was.

Sharla watched the entire thing unfold from afar. She recognised most of the refugees from Colony 6 as they passed by for some pulled bunniv. It truly was a wonderful thing to see the people from both colonies getting along so well, but it was also sad to think that they were only together because Colony 6 was gone.

"...As for the others, I just couldn't help myself. I ate them all up!"

She shook Xord's voice out of her head. For the two days it had taken for them to return to Colony 9, she hadn't stopped hearing him say that. He was mocking her for not acting earlier, for running away when she should've stayed and fought.

But what would it have accomplished? She would have died, killed by mechon or eaten by one, just like all of the others. She refused to believe that Gadolt, the man she'd grown up and fallen in love with, was dead. For four months, she'd woken up every morning hoping for news of him to come. For four months, a small part of her knew that every passing day, the chances of that happening were getting lower and lower. Still, she'd refused to believe that he was dead. She would've felt it if something had happened to him.

A woman sat next to her, pulling Sharla out of her reverie. She'd never met her, but she'd heard of her, from Fiora, Reyn and Dunban but also from the residents of the colony. Elinor.

"Sharla, right?" she said.

"Yes," she replied. "And you're Elinor."

Elinor nodded, then turned her gaze to where her husband was handing out food. "How are you doing?" she asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, how are you holding up? You must've had to be so strong for everyone at the refugee camp, not show any weakness. You've bottled up all of your emotions so as to not be bothersome. That can't be healthy."

Sharla was taken aback by Elinor straightforward-ness. She'd never met anyone who was so direct. But she was right.

"If you need to talk," Elinor continued, "I'm right here."

Sharla could tell that Elinor was suffering as she was. She could see it in her eyes. The pain of having lost someone close to you.

"Who have you lost?" Sharla asked.

"My son," Elinor replied without hesitating. "He was killed in the recent mechon attack." She took her wallet out of her pocket and pulled out a small picture. "This is him. Shulk, Reyn and Fiora were inseparable as children, and they were until he died. Sometimes I can still hear him working on a weapon when I'm alone in the lab."

Sharla took the picture from Elinor and looked at it very closely. She recognised all three of the teenagers on the photograph. Reyn and Fiora, she'd obviously recognised, but the one in the middle had shocked her. She recognised him because she'd seen him before. He was maybe a year or two younger in the picture, but there was no denying that the blonde boy in the picture was Ruby.

Ruby, who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere to save her from a mechon attack, who'd led her to Colony 9. Not because it was closer than the one in Makna Forest, but because it was his home.

It didn't make sense. Shulk was dead. Ruby was alive. But they looked exactly the same.

She pushed away those thought, she pushed away the thought of Ruby. It was just a crazy coincidence.

"I'm sorry," Sharla said, giving the picture back to Elinor.

They didn't say anything for a while, Elinor giving Sharla the space she needed.

"If it wasn't for all of this," Sharla started, "Gadolt and I would be married. He was a defence force soldier, one of the best shots of the colony. He looked tough, but he was really kind and caring. He was like a father to most of the orphans, Juju included. He made sure that no one was missing anything they needed. He died protecting the colony, but his death didn't mean anything; the colony was still lost."

Elinor placed her h and on Sharla's back. "Would his death have meant anything if you hadn't lost the colony?"

"He would've thought so."

Silence fell again, much lighter this time.

"Do you think it's wrong for me to hope?" Sharla eventually asked.

"No," Elinor replied. "I know holding on to hope that he might still be alive is unhealthy, but it's still there. It's highly improbable, but it's there."

Sharla nodded, but didn't say anything else. There really wasn't much to add.

Sharla hoped that if Gadolt was indeed still alive, that he was safe and happy where he was.

0o0

"Kid, this is a terrible idea," Gadolt declared.

"Well, it would be much faster than climbing back down," Shulk replied.

"Shulk has a point," Kallian agreed. "Do you really want to spend another two hours on ladders and material that I doubt was ever meant for anyone to climb on?"

"Well, no but…"

"Exactly!" Shulk exclaimed.

"What I meant to say is that climbing down somehow sounds more appealing than jumping from this high up," Gadolt replied.

"Why? Shulk asked. "Kallian and I have flight packs and we can carry you down."

"Aren't we out here to test Kallian's pack?"

"We are," Shulk nodded. "But we're also here to test out your drones and his. If we were to climb down, we wouldn't have enough sunlight left to do it safely. And before you ask, we don't have night vision outside of our units."

When put that way, Shulk had the right idea. "What if Kallian's pack fails while we're in the air?"

"We'll aim for the little lake down there," Shulk said as he pointed to said lake. "That way of anything goes wrong we won't get hurt."

Gadolt sighed. There really was no arguing with Shulk.

"If you drop me," he declared, half joking, half dead serious, "you're dead, both of you."

"Don't worry," Kallian reassured him, "if we drop you, we're all dead."

0o0

Fiora had helped Anson give out food for about an hour until he'd given her a plate and shooed her away, telling her to go enjoy herself.

She walked through the crowd until she was out of most of it. She spotted Sharla and Elinor on a nearby bench, but she didn't want to bother them; they seemed to be talking about something important.

"It's weird having one of these without Shulk," Reyn said as he joined her.

"Yeah," she replied. "It's odd how life just moves on. Shulk is gone, but the world just continues as if he was never there."

"Not really, if you look close enough, you'll see the differences."

Reyn was right. Fiora looked through the crowd, seeing subtle changes in people's behaviour. Most of it could have been attributed to the recent attack, but she spotted one thing in particular that stood out. There was a group of children playing among the crowd, a group that Shulk had helped bring together only hours before he'd died. Even if he was gone, there were still traces of him scattered around the colony.

"This is why we have to get the Monado," she declared. "To protect this."

"You're right," Reyn agreed, "We can't let the mechon kill more of us. We can't let them wipe us out."

"I'll talk about it with Dunban tonight. About when we leave for Valak mountain. We have all of the supplies we need already. We'll bring both our normal and anti-mechon weapons, just in case. Considering our current technology can't harm faced mechon, the Monado could very well be our only hope."

"And I'll be by your side, making sure you don't get hurt."

"Thanks, Reyn. I do need someone to watch my back."

"So long as you watch mine."

"Always."

0o0

Gadolt, Kallian and Shulk landed by the lake they'd been aiming for unarmed.

"See?" Shulk told Gadolt, "nothing to worry about."

"I shouldn't have underestimated that flight pack of yours, kid. It's pretty damn useful."

"It sure is," Kallian added.

"It could still use some upgrades though," Shulk muttered, almost to himself, "like being able to carry more weight than one person or make it much faster…"

"You can worry about that later," Kallian declared. "We have some drones to try out."

"Right, let's go."

They found some poor volffs that would be perfect test subjects of sorts. Natalia had also asked them if they could bring back some sort of meat, so they were taking care of two birds in one stone.

"So," Kallian asked as he started at the harmless volff, "how _do_ you get the drones to activate?"

"He has a point," Gadolt agreed. "How does it work?"

Shulk had been the only one to use his, but that was mainly because the other two hadn't really needed to. He took a moment to try to explain how to do it. "You just tell them to," he shrugged, "it's like when you control your unit from a distance; you tell them to move and they move."

Shulk watched as Kallian and Gadolt tried to get their drones to respond, but without any success. It was fun to watch, but also a little sad. After about five minutes he sighed and stepped toward the volff. "Like this."

His drones responded immediately, slashing the volff. After ten hits, they returned to his back automatically.

"Huh," both Gadolt and Kallian said.

Kallian stepped forward to try while Shulk and Gadolt took a few steps back.

He concentrated and aimed at another nearby volff. _"Respond and move,"_ he thought.

The drones responded, separating in four and firing in a circle around him, like it was protecting him in its own weird way.

"Amazing!" Shulk exclaimed. "You have the gun model. It fires off in a circle around the user, doing electric damage."

Kallian nodded, then turned to Gadolt. "It's like he said, just tell them to move and they move."

Gadolt stepped forward while Shulk and Kallian stepped back.

He concentrated and aimed at another volff. _"Natalia's going to have a lot of meat to work with,"_ he couldn't help but think. The drones moved in front of him and fired off a beam, essentially frying the volff.

"Cannon model," Shulk said, "fires off a large beam in front of the user and does electric damage."

"How do you know this?" Gadolt asked as he walked back to the other two.

"I did a lot of reading before Kallian came here," Shulk replied. "I read the entire weaponry section of the library twice. I was a weapon developer in Colony 9, so I was curious to see what kind of weapons they had here. What did you do before you well, died?"

"I was part of the defence force of Colony 6," Gadolt replied. "I used to work in the mines when I was kid. I'd have contests with my friends to see who could replace the crystals in the ether lights the fastest."

"Did you win?" Kallian asked.

Gadolt laughed. "No, Sharla did. She is -was my fiancée. It's odd to think that if it wasn't for all of this, we'd be married by now."

"Sorry to hear," Kallian said.

Shulk had fallen silent. Sharla. Was the Sharla he'd met at the refugee camp and the Sharla that was Gadolt fiancée the same person? It was certainly a possibility. Before he could say anything about it, Gadolt spoke up.

"What did you do before you died?"

Kallian took a second to try to figure out the smoothest way he could say what his job had been. There really was no real way to say it gently. Diplomacy never had been his strong suit. "I was advisor to the emperor of the High Entia."

Both Shulk and Gadolt stared at him, speechless.

"What," Gadolt said flatly.

"I knew you were High Entia," Shulk said slowly, "but _royal advisor?_ That's impressive."

"How did you get a job like that? Were you a noble?" Gadolt asked.

"I was- I am the emperor's first born son, but not the heir to the throne. That was my younger sister, Melia."

"It's incredible, isn't it?" Shulk said, there was a hint of someone else, of Meyneth in his voice. "Three people of vastly different backgrounds all brought together by misfortune and working toward the same goal."

"We aren't actively going toward that goal though," Kallian said. "We've mostly just been sitting around and helping out around the village."

"We will though," Gadolt added, "even if it takes us a long time to get started, we'll take down Egil so that no one else is separated from their families, so that no one has to become what we've become."

"Well said," Kallian agreed.

"But first," Shulk said, looking back at the three volffs they'd killed, "we should get these back to Natalia."

* * *

 **Author's notes :** So, if you swivel the camera around in the "14 years ago" cut scene (using hacks), you can see that Shulk' mother, or in the case of this fic, Elinor, is a red head with grey blue eyes, so that's what she looks like, if anyone's curious. If you want to see a picture of it google something along the lines of "Shulk's mother Xenoblade" and one of the first results should be it. Anyway, hoped you enjoyed and I'll see you next chapter.


	14. 14- Return to Normality

Fiora, Reyn Sharla and Juju headed back home after helping Anson put everything away. He'd given them leftovers, so they were set for lunch for a few days. Dunban had stayed behind to discuss something with him.

They reached Fiora and Dunban's house, where they spent the evening by playing board and card games. Eventually, Dunban came back and played with them. Despite joining in during the middle of the game, he won by a long shot.

Both Juju and Reyn demanded another match. Two hours later, it ended with Fiora in first place, Dunban second, Sharla third, Juju fourth and Reyn dead last.

"I'm usually so much better than this," Reyn muttered under his breath.

"That's because Shulk would help you win," Fiora declared, a smirk on her face.

"Yeah," Reyn said, "he did."

Dunban looked at the clock. It was now 10 o'clock. "Don't you have training early in the morning?" he asked Reyn. "You should head back and get some sleep."

"I should," Reyn said as he stood and stretched. "I'm not looking forward to that; we're going out to Tephra Cave and there's been a ton of arachno lately."

"Go get some sleep, then," Sharla said. "You need it, especially since you'll be fighting first thing in the morning."

"I will, I will," he said as he left, heading toward his house in the military district.

"We should all get some sleep," Sharla declared. "We're all still tired from all the traveling we did."

"Right," Fiora said as she started putting away the game.

Juju helped her while Dunban and Sharla got the beds ready. They slept in their parent's room, which hadn't been used in years.

Half an hour later, they were all in bed, sleeping.

Sharla, however, couldn't sleep. She hadn't been able to stop thinking about Ruby. Ruby, who looked exactly like Shulk. Who had said he lived in a colony no one had ever heard of before in Makna Forest. Who had anti-mechon weapons far superior than current technology allowed.

She decided then that it was a simple coincidence. Shulk and Ruby were two different people, even if they looked almost exactly the same. Shulk was dead. She was pretty sure Ruby was still alive somewhere. She hoped he was.

She decided to not tell anyone about it. It was wrong to give them hope. She still had hope that Gadolt was alive, but they had moved on.

However, no matter how hard she tried to convince herself that Shulk and Ruby were two different people, a small part of her knew that it wasn't true. She decided to ignore that part of her.

While she went over her dilemma and decision, on the floor below, Fiora and Dunban talked quietly over the kitchen table.

"Reyn and I have decided that we're going to Valak Mountain," Fiora said. "If you don't want to come, I understand, but we're going. The Monado, if it even exists, is our only hope at this point."

"I'm still coming," Dunban replied. "You're right about the Monado. Have you decided when you'll leave?"

"Probably at the start of next week."

They were quiet for a moment before Fiora spoke again.

"Today was the first time I said Shulk's name without feeling sad or angry. It was… refreshing, actually."

"Time heals all wounds," Dunban said. He thought of friends he'd lost over a year ago. He would know about that.

"It does," she agreed. She excused herself and left for her room.

Dunban stayed in the kitchen for a moment before heading up to this room as well. He found himself unable to sleep. His mind wandered to the events of that night, something he'd done many times in the past five months.

He'd passed those events over and over in his head, trying to think of anything he could've done differently for Shulk to be saved. He knew it changed nothing, but it was his own twisted way of mourning. He'd come to the realisation that no matter what he'd done, either of them would've died. Some part of him was glad that it had been Shulk and not Fiora. Another part was disgusted with that part of him.

He eventually fell asleep, the entire house now quiet.

0o0

Shulk, Kallian and Gadolt returned to the village, each carrying one of the volffs they'd killed. They quickly found Natalia, who had put out a barbeque right outside of it.

"When I said meat," she said as they approached, "I didn't mean three entire volffs. There's only six of us here who can actually eat this; we're going to have leftovers for a while."

"Can we even eat meat? Or eat in general?" Gadolt wondered aloud. "We're more mechon than Homs."

"We can," Kallian answered. "We don't need to, but we can if we want, as long as we don't eat too much."

"How much is too much?"

Kallian shrugged. "Shulk, do you know?"

"I didn't know we could eat until just now, so no," he replied. "How did you know?"

"I asked Linada a little before we left. She said we can, but that we can't eat too much, otherwise we might shut off for a short amount of time. In the end, she recommended eating as little as possible and if we can, not at all. Though she also said we won't be sure exactly how much is safe or what will happen until we try."

"One way to know," Gadolt shrugged.

"Woah, wait," Natalia exclaimed. "Is shutting off dangerous? It sounds dangerous."

"It's not," Kallian told her. "It's like fainting."

"Technically speaking, it's more like a system reset," Shulk clarified.

"Fainting is easier to understand," Kallian replied.

Natalia sighed. "Just know that if any of you shut off I will not be held responsible or carry you back to your house."

"Don't worry, we'll try not to," Shulk assured her.

"This is a little nostalgic, isn't it?" Natalia said as she started putting the voff meat on the barbeque.

"It is," Shulk agreed.

"I'm missing something here, aren't I?" Gadolt said.

"Back in Colony 9," Shulk said, "my father would do barbeques like this at least twice a month. If the weather there is the same as over here, he's probably doing one right around now. He usually makes enough food to feed most of the colony."

"I always wondered how he made so much food. He only has one barbecue after all. Do you know?" she asked Shulk.

"Family secret."

"Oh, come on!" she exclaimed. "Can't you tell just one person?"

"A family secret is a family secret," Shulk said, crossing his arms, "besides, it's not like you need to make that much food here."

"You put up a fair point and I will give you this round, but this isn't over." Natalia turned back to the barbecue so the meat wouldn't burn.

Soon after, Karlos and Theo joined them. The six of them talked for a while, about their lives before they got here and the lives they'd built.

Shulk, Kallian and Gadolt ate carefully, pausing between every bite to make sure they wouldn't shut off.

So far, they were still awake, so they figured they were safe.

"Is there a warning of some sort before shutting down?" Shulk asked.

"Well, usually there's a warning, but it's given by the maintenance people, so I don't think we'll get one in this situation," Gadolt said. He wondered how Shulk couldn't know that, then remembered that he didn't recall anything from that time. He wasn't sure if he could be considered lucky or not because of that.

The rest of the evening went by in good spirits. Kallian, Gadolt and Shulk had only eaten one plate each, for safety reasons.

Eventually, the Homs were full. There was still about a volff and half left, so Theo volunteered to prepare them so they could store them and use them for leftovers. Kallian was curious about how it worked, so he decided to help.

Shulk wandered off, saying he had to go get some parts for the flight packs. Gadolt tagged along, because "Someone's gotta babysit the kid." His reasoning was followed by a "I'm 18!"

Neither of them were in the mood for fighting, so they only scavenged from mechon that were already deactivated.

Shulk was crouching by a wrecked mechon while Gadolt stood guard. He barely heard it when Shulk spoke to him. He'd been muttering to himself and it had taken him a second to realise he'd been talking to him.

"How are you holding up?" Shulk asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, just yesterday, you were nothing but a brainwashed puppet to Egil. Now you're living in the literal middle of nowhere. It's not exactly an easy transition."

"I will admit it is a little jarring, but it's better than being a puppet, for sure. I had no concept of self. Just follow orders. That was it. It's great to be free. I can't thank you -or Meyneth- enough."

"It was nothing," Shulk shrugged. "Though I will admit that was pretty scary for a bit. I _was_ fighting a faced mechon with only two swords, after all."

"What about you? How are holding up?"

Shulk was quiet for a moment. "I would rather be back home for sure, but this place is better than where you were."

"Aren't you worried about your family and friends?"

"Has there been more than one attack on Colony 9?"

"No, why?"

"Then I know they're safe. My parents were in the shelter while my friends were fighting alongside me. I died protecting them, so they could live. The last I saw of them, they were screaming murder at Metal Face, but they were alive. That's all that matters. They're alive."

"At least you know if they're safe," Gadolt said. He was going to say more, but stopped himself. He had to live with the uncertainty of whether or not Sharla and the others were alive. He could only hope they'd made it out. That Sharla and Juju had taken as many people as possible outside of the colony.

Shulk stood up and looked at Gadolt. "Your fiancée, Sharla, what did she look like?"

He listened as Gadolt gave a description of Sharla that did her more justice than one Shulk could ever make.

"She's alive," Shulk had unknowingly cut Gadolt off as he confirmed that Sharla, leader of the refugee camp and Sharla, Gadolt's fiancée, were indeed the same person. "I met her in the refugee camp on Bionis' Leg about three or four weeks ago. I led her and the other refugees to Colony 9. That's where she is now, along with Juju and all the other survivors."

Gadolt sagged with relief, the tension of the past day easing off his shoulders.

Shulk smiled. "I was expecting you to jump into Jade Face and fly over there as soon as you'd heard that."

"That does sound tempting," Gadolt said. "But would she still love me?" he looked at his hands. One metal, one still of flesh and blood. "After what I've become?"

"Who knows?" Shulk shrugged. "They're our loved ones, so they _should_ accept us for what we've become, but at the same time, we've been turned into the very things they've been at war with for decades."

"Indeed," Gadolt agreed. There was no way to know if their families and friends would accept them until they returned to the colony. If they ever returned to the colony.

0o0

Gadolt and Shulk had returned to the village later than night, carrying the parts Shulk had salvaged. They dumped them in the office, but he didn't get started right away. Instead, they went to the living room. It wasn't much of a living room as it was the entrance of the house with a couch in the middle of it.

The three of them sat on the couch. It was large enough to seat four, so they were comfortable on it and had enough space between each other. Somehow though, it wasn't quite comfortable enough to sleep on.

After sleeping on it for awhile, Kallian had decided it was because of how narrow it was and because it was curved outward instead of curving inward or dipping one way or another, like all other couches. It seemed this one, or whoever had built it, had decided it wanted to be different. It unfortunately meant that while it was nice to sit on, it was a terrible place to sleep.

"So," Gadolt started, "who sleeps on the couch tonight?"

"I could," Shulk shrugged. "I have been sleeping in the bed for two months, I can spare a night on the couch."

"This is your house," Gadolt declared, "so it's your bed. You sleep in it."

"I think the floor would be more comfortable than the couch after sleeping in it for a week," Kallian said. "No offense to the couch."

"Are you sure?" Gadolt asked.

"Yeah," Kallian replied, "you take the couch, I'll take the floor."

"The bed has enough space for two," Shulk said.

The other two blankly stared at him.

"You didn't bring this up before because…?" Kallian started.

"I just realised it. It would be a little tight, but at least it no one would have to sleep on the floor."

"You and Kallian take the bed then," Gadolt said. "I'll take the couch. Now, you two, get off my bed." he finished, smiling.

The two left the couch, who was now Gadolt's bed and went to Shulk's room.

Just Like Shulk had said, they both fit on the bed, even if it was a little tight.

Not that they minded.


	15. 15-Dreams

Chapter 15- Dreams

He was lost, but he wasn't. He had simply taken the wrong transporter. He wasn't lost because he had a rough idea of where he was. As a child, he'd explored these halls and memorised them. He'd played games with his younger sister in halls like these. Empty halls that no one bothered cleaning because they were barely traveled. Well, they actually were travelled, but not by people whose eyes would judge the lack of cleanliness.

Thanks to his adventures as a child, he vaguely remembered the layout of this part of the castle. He knew how to get back to his quarters without tracing over his steps. He was thankful for any opportunity to avoid paperwork, so he took the long way.

He heard a voice ahead and walked slowly, so the floor wouldn't resound with his footsteps. He would recognise that voice anywhere. His mother. What was she doing in this forgotten but not actually forgotten part of the castle?

He edged closer quietly until he could see her. He pressed himself against the wall behind a column and chanced to take a look.

She had her back to him and was talking to someone kneeling in front of her. The person was wearing a mask he recognised from somewhere. His mother spoke loudly now, unknowingly sealing her own fate.

"We continue to endure the contamination of our bloodline by perpetuating this wretched tradition of a High Entia First Consort and a Homs Second Consort." She lowered her voice for a moment, making it so he couldn't make out what she was saying until she spoke loudly again.

"Do what you must to be rid of her. There is no doubt she will accept to do the trial of the Tomb. Do it then."

"Of course, your Highness," the person in the mask bowed her head before walking away.

She went in the opposite direction he had come from, which he was eternally thankful for. His mother, however, went the other way. As she passed by, he flattened himself against the wall, hoping she wouldn't turn around to see him. She didn't.

He only allowed himself to breathe when the sound of her footsteps had long faded. He recognised the mask now; he'd seen it in old documents. He hard to warn his sister and his father about this. He went back the way he'd gone, knowing that it would be better and safer to run into his mother than into the assassin.

As he walked, he realised that something was wrong. Something didn't feel quite right. His footsteps resounded more than they should. He looked at his hands.

They were made of metal, not of flesh and blood. He realised then that this was a dream, not a memory. Or perhaps it was a memory disguised as a dream, he wasn't sure. All he knew was that this had already happened.

All at once, everything came back to him, though he hadn't really forgotten it.

Warning his father and his sister. Having the seer follow her to make sure she was safe. Nervously pacing until she returned safely. The rumours and then confirmation by none other than himself that his mother had been involved with the people who'd attacked his sister. The arrest. The pending trial. The celebration of the announcement of his father's heir. The mechon attack.

He remembered the mechon attack clearly. The mechon had destroyed the defences and within a few minutes had been inside the city and inside of the castle. He and Melia had ended up in the grand hall, fighting back to back. Nearby guards were too busy fighting or dying to help them. It was to each their own, though they all had the same goal: protect Alcamoth.

He and Melia eventually made their way outside of the castle. They'd fought their way out while pushing the mechon back. A giant mechon crashed down in front of them. It was black and it had a face. Because of that, it felt wrong. It stared at them, its expression unreadable because of its incapability to have one. Despite its lack of expression, he could tell that it was malicious and that it wanted to hurt Melia. That would not stand.

The mechon reeled back its arm, sharp, metal claws ready to kill. It didn't take long to realise they were aimed at Melia. He pushed her out of the way.

Sudden, sharp pain. Someone screaming. The feeling of being lifted into the air. Going limp. More screaming.

" _Kallian?"_

He couldn't understand it.

" _Kallian."_

Was it his name?

" _Kallian!"_

He was pretty sure it was his name.

" _BROTHER!"_

Kallian woke up with a start. It took him half a second to realise where he was. He was in Shulk's room. In the Hidden Machina Village. On the Fallen Arm. In the Endless Ocean. Far from Alcamoth. Far from home.

"Kallian are you alright?" Shulk's voice pulled him back from his mind, from the past, and brought him back to the present, to this room. "You looked like you were having a nightmare."

"I'm fine, did I wake you?" Shulk's sheepish smile was the only answer Kallian needed. "Sorry."

"It's alright," Shulk replied. "Want to talk about it?"

Kallian hesitated. "It's a bit of a long story and it needs quite a bit of context to be understood properly. It might take a while."

"There's no fixed schedule to follow here. We've got time."

"Alright then. First you need to understand the concept of…"

Shulk got comfortable and listened.

Kallian finished his story as the sun started to become visible, turning the room orange. He had been in the middle of a mess almost his entire life. He'd never really known what it was like to be free until now,

"I'm sure they're proud of you," Shulk said, unsure if it was the right thing to say. "Your father, Melia, Alvis, even your mother. I'm certain that they're proud of everything you've done, of your sacrifice. You died so your sister could live. You told about your mother's plans while knowing it meant she would likely be killed because it was the right thing to do."

That did bring comfort to Kallian. He looked at the rapidly brightening sky. "We should get started with the day," he said.

That earned him a light punch in the arm from Shulk. "Didn't you hear what I said before?" he said, shaking his head. "There's no fixed schedule here. You can sleep in as long as you want. No one will care or reprimand you for it."

"A few more hours of sleep wouldn't hurt," Kallian agreed.

About four hours later, Shulk woke up. While Kallian was still soundly sleeping, Shulk was wide awake. He quietly crawled out of bed and went into the living room. There, he found Gadolt. He was laying on the floor.

"Gadolt?" Shulk asked.

Gadolt's eyes snapped open. "Kallian was right," he said as he sat up. "The floor _is_ more comfortable than the couch."

"Is it really that bad?" Shulk felt bad for him.

"The ground of the ether mines is more comfortable than the couch."

"Wow."

"That couch deserves an award for 'most uncomfortable couch ever built.'"

There was a knock on the door. Shulk went to get it. It was Rizaka.

"Sorry to bother," she said, "but we're about to start taking the door of that house no one has the key to. We were wondering if you'd like to help."

"Sure," Shulk replied.

He looked back to Gadolt, who had stood up in the time it had taken to open answer the door. "Let's go kick down a door," he declared.

"Please don't actually kick down the door," Shulk said.

"Indeed," Rizaka agreed, "that would hurt."

"It's an expression," Gadolt sighed.

0o0

Reyn woke up as the sun started to appear. He wanted to go back to sleep, but he knew the colonel would have his head if he did. He didn't want to be doing laps around the colony this early in the morning.

He had some leftovers from Anson's barbecue for breakfast, grabbed his driver and left his house.

He said hello to Emmy Leater, who asked him if he'd seen Miller. He hadn't. She asked if he could help her find him and he agreed. He still had about an hour before he actually had to show up for training.

He jogged around the colony, combing alleys and back streets. He eventually found Miller in the commercial district in the alley behind the Gem Man's stall. Without much effort, he convinced Miller to come back with him.

When they returned to the military district, Emmy and Miller had a shouting match. Reyn slowly backed away from it and joined up with other trainees who were starting to arrive.

They started their drills, square-tache yelling things that would make most mothers cover their child's ears. An hour and a short break later, Colonel Vangarre rounded up a few soldiers, including Reyn, Emmy and Miller, and told them that, as planned they would be going into Tephra Cave.

He urged them off and turned around to continue yelling at other recruits. Reyn remembered Shulk once saying that he was amazed the man hadn't lost his voice yet. Reyn had laughed, replying that he doubted that was even possible. He couldn't help but smile at that memory.

During the first week after Shulk's death, Reyn had been a wreck. He'd spent a good portion of it in the lab, simply staring at Shulk's desk. It was one of the only things that really screamed of what Shulk had been.

He hadn't been able to stop seeing the scene over and over again in his head.

That black mechon about to attack Fiora. About to kill Fiora. Shulk screaming something vile and throwing his sword at it. It turning around faster than it should have been able to. Raising its claws. Reyn not being fast enough. Dunban being too far away. Fiora being tangled in the debris of the mobile artillery. They had all watched helplessly as the claws went through Shulk. Blood spraying on the ground. Shulk going limp. Shulk dying. The mechon flying away with Shulk still mounted on its claws. Like Shulk was some kind of trophy.

They hadn't been able to give Shulk a proper burial. Then again, they'd only been able to give proper burials to very few people, since the mechon had eaten most of those they'd killed.

After that week, he had trained day in and day out, refusing to rest. Because if he'd had more training then less people would've gotten hurt; less people would've died. Anger fueled him. It was Fiora that had brought him back from that. For the first time since that day they'd talked.

They'd gone to Outlook park and talked through the night. They'd talked about Shulk and the memories they had of him. The good and the bad. They both felt better as the sun had appeared, almost as if it was promising them a brighter future, even if they would have to live through everyday without their best friend.

Shulk was dead and nothing could change that. He'd died so they could live, and they'd decided that they wouldn't let his sacrifice be in vain. They watched and helped as the colony slowly recovered from the attack.

It hurt though, to not have Shulk see it. In a way, he was lucky. Shulk didn't have to mourn the lives lost in the attack. He didn't have to watch parents screaming for their lost children or children screaming for their lost parents. He didn't have to get back on his feet. He didn't have to do any of that because those things were _living_ and Shulk was _dead._

Reyn missed Shulk. His death had left had left a Shulk shaped hole in his heart and while he knew that it would never completely heal, it would get better. It was already starting to get better. Today marked exactly five months since Shulk's death. Day by day, it hurt a little less.

He was brought back to reality when they reached the entrance to Tephra cave. He'd been daydreaming. Definitely not a good thing to do before going into battle. He pushed thoughts of Shulk away and focused. Distractions were what got you and your teammates killed, after all.

Someone or something had killed the arachno queen so now the arachnos were leaderless and more dangerous than ever. The balance in Tephra cave had been broken by the queen's death. They had two objectives today: lower the number of arachnos and, if possible, restore the balance. They weren't quite sure how to accomplish the second task, so they focused on the first.

0o0

There was a group of about fifteen or so people standing in front of the house with the broken door. Everyone had a different idea for how to fix it.

"Break the lock and replace it with a new one?" Someone suggested.

"Replace the lock."

"Put more effort into finding the key."

"Remove the door and make a new one."

"Kick it down." This one was followed by a "Gadolt, no."

The debate continued and a Machina who seemed to know what he was doing stepped up and examined the door. "The hinges are rusted shut, no amount of oil will save it," he declared. "The door needs to be completely removed and replaced."

"What parts do we need to gather to make a new one?" Shulk asked.

The Machina gave him an extensive and detailed list. "You two take care of that, we'll take it down."

"It's a plan," Shulk agreed.

They headed back to the house to grab their weapons. Shulk went into his room and quietly took his swords and drones, though he still woke Kallian. Or Kallian was already awake, he wasn't sure.

"Where are you going?" he asked, his voice still slurred by sleep.

"We're going to get some part for the door of that house," Shulk replied.

"I'll come along," Kallian said, rolling out of bed, grabbing his weapons and walking out of the room in one fluid movement.

Shulk helped Kallian attach his flight pack. It took a bit of practice to get it right and Kallian hadn't had the time to do it. Once that was done, they headed out. Shulk remembered the parts they needed, so he lead the way.

They gathered the materials, which were thankfully easy to find. An hour later, they returned to the village to find that the door had been taken down. According to a Machina, kicking had indeed been involved in taking down the door. Shulk and Kallian sighed; Gadolt smiled.

The Machina who knew how to build the door -none of them knew his name- built it surprisingly quickly. By the end of the hour, they were mounting the door into the frame, the Machina putting in the final touches.

"Why wasn't this done sooner?" Kallian asked once they were done. "From what I understand, that door's been broken for years."

"We never needed to," Rizaka shrugged. "There simply isn't enough people in the village to fill all of the houses, so the fact that key to this one was lost wasn't much of a problem."

"Makes sense."

The Machina who had built the door came back to them. "Well, my job here is done. Here's the key, though I doubt you'll need it; there's not much reason to lock your doors around here. You guys have fun." He walked off and the crowd dispersed. This had likely been the most action the village had seen in awhile.

The trio went into the house. It had the same design as Shulk's, the only difference being was that it had much more dust in it.

Gadolt and Kallian took turns trying out the couch, testing to see if was more, less or as comfortable than the other one. It was much, much more comfortable. The bed was also comfortable, but that was to be expected.

Meanwhile, Shulk had gone to borrow a broom from someone. He had been unsuccessful in finding one from the neighbours, so he'd gone to Linada. She pointed him to the storage closet at the end of the hall on the second floor. From what Shulk could tell, the broom in that closet was the only one in the village.

Shulk had returned to the dusty house to find Gadolt and Kallian debating about something. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"The couch is comfortable enough to sleep on," Gadolt said. "We're trying to see who moves in here and who stays with you."

"I don't need a babysitter," Shulk sighed. He was younger than both of them, sure, but he wasn't a child, either. "Besides, I 'd have more space to work if you were both here and you wouldn't have to move the couch."

"He has a point," Kallian agreed.

"Are you sure you can handle living alone?" Gadolt asked Shulk.

Shulk sighed. "We live right next door to each other, I can handle it. Like that Machina said, there's no need to lock our doors here so we can visit each other anytime."

"Again," Kallian said, "he has a point."

"All right then," Gadolt agreed. "Kallian and I will live here. We'll probably switch off between the bed and the couch once in awhile."

"Good. I'll move the couch to a corner of the living room so I can have more space. The office just isn't big enough for me to work efficiently."

"Kallian and I will go move the couch," Gadolt declared, "are you alright with the broom?"

"I'll be fine, _dad._ " Shulk said as the other left the house, laughing.

0o0

Reyn had never seen so many arachnos in one area. There had to be around 100 in just this small cavern and he knew there were much, much more of them further in.

The group stayed together, carefully taking down the arachnos as they came. Though it seemed that for every one they took down, two more appeared. Eventually though, they stopped coming and the cavern fell quiet. The only thing that could be heard was the breathing of the soldiers.

"I can't believe there's more where those came from," Miller said between breaths.

"And that we have to take them down," Reyn replied.

After taking a moment to catch their breath and recover, they continued further in. They eventually ran into arachno egg sacks.

"Should we do something about those?" someone asked.

"Yeah," Reyn replied, pulling out his driver. "Let's just do it quietly so we can take them out one at a time." And so they did.

They took another short break and kept going in. There was a bit of debate once they reached Villia Lake. They decided to climb up the wall and keep going to the exit of the cave. That was where the arachno queen's nest had been, so if others were fighting for the claim, that was likely where they'd be.

Carefully and quietly, they climbed above the lake and travelled down the corridor. At the former arachno queen's nest, there were three massive arachnos.

"What now?" Emmy asked.

"Take two down, the one remaining will take the queen's place," Reyn declared.

"Makes sense," she agreed. "Let's not risk it; we'll stick together. Reyn, lure that big one on the right, we'll take it down first. It's for the best we leave the smallest one in charge. It'll be less of a problem in the future if we need to kill it."

Reyn took a nearby rock and chucked it at the largest arachno. It turned toward them and attacked. The other two arachnos didn't seem to care.

They surrounded it and fought back. As expected, it was much stronger than any other arachno they'd fought so far. They all received minor injuries, but in the end the arachno was dead and they were alive.

Once they were done, they got the attention of the other arachno. The smallest one, no longer having an opponent, turned its attention to the Homs. They fought against both, but focused on killing the bigger one and pushing back the smaller one.

Reyn fought, protecting the others as best he could. They'd expected the arachnos to summon smaller ones, but they hadn't been able to since they hadn't achieved queen status yet, so they couldn't. Small victories.

Reyn's job had always been to be the shield. That what was he did. He got the aggro of the smaller arachno, attacking once in awhile to keep its attention on him, but mainly just keeping it away from the real battle.

The arachno however, was unrelenting. It attacked Reyn over and over. He blocked most of them, but it managed to hit him a few times. It was just small injuries; he barely felt them. They were nothing. That is, until the arachno hit his driver hard enough for it to bend the metal, one of its mandibles almost going right through it.

He took a few steps back to recover and try to punch the metal back in place, with no luck. He chanced a look at the others, who had almost killed the other one. He just had to hang on there a little longer.

Eventually, the bigger arachno fell. The new arachno queen's scream of victory echoed through the cave, announcing her win to all arachnos.

"Let's get out of here before arachnos come running here," Emmy declared. Everyone agreed.

They quickly left the nest and headed out . As expected, the arachnos were swarming. The soldiers stuck to the walls to avoid being swept away. They didn't rest until the reached the Mag Mell Ruins, an area much safer in comparison.

There, they assessed the damage. There were a lot of small injuries and broken weapons, but no one was dead or gravely wounded. Reyn considered it a miracle.

They returned to the colony, the mood much lighter than when they'd been going the other way. When they'd reported back, Colonel Vangarre yelled at them, unsurprisingly but he congratulated them, even gave them the next day off. They were all a little surprised, but thankful.

While most went back to their families, Reyn went down to the lab to see Elinor. She turned to him as soon as he walked in.

"How did it go?" she asked. She must've known about the mission.

"Better than expected," he replied.

"What do you want?" Elinor had always been straight-forward.

He showed her his driver. "Can you fix it? I don't want to buy or get a new one." _Shulk made this one_ , he almost said.

She took it and examined it for a few minutes. Reyn's heart was beating fast. He really, really didn't want to separate himself from that weapon. It was Shulk's labor of love and he didn't want it to be thrown away. He didn't care that it was made out of scrap metal. He didn't care that it wasn't as powerful as other things on the market.

He held his breath as Elinor told her verdict. "It'll take a few days, but I can definitely fix it."

Reyn sighed with relief. He only hoped that he would be able to afford the repairs without having to rely on Fiora for food for a few weeks.

"I'll cover the cost don't worry," Elinor said, much to Reyn's surprise.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, after all…" she trailed off, but he knew what she meant to say. She'd seen how much effort Shulk had put into making this, she didn't want it to go to waste.

"Thank you, really."

"It's nothing," she replied. "Now go get those injuries checked out. They may be small, but they can still get infected.

"I will, thank you again."

0o0

Kallian and Gadolt moved the couch in what was now Shulk's house. It was heavier than they'd expected, but it wasn't something they couldn't handle. They placed it in the corner of the room so Shulk would have the maximum amount of space to work.

"I wonder what he'd make that would take this much space," Kallian wondered.

"Who knows," Gadolt shrugged. "He used to make weapons, so I'd say that's the most likely thing."

"You're probably right. Let's head back, the house won't clean itself on its own."

When they returned, Shulk had finished sweeping the living room and had moved on to the office.

"Can we help?" Gadolt asked.

"If you can find another broom or a duster, go ahead," he replied.

Gadolt went out to try to find those while Kallian helped clean out the office. Whoever had lived here before had left a lot of junk in there. Even Shulk couldn't find use for any of it, except for what seemed to be a little engine of some sort.

They put the junk in front of the house, leaving it for other people to take. Gadolt then came back with a duster he'd found in the same closet Shulk had gotten the broom from. About an hour later, they'd finished dusting the house and getting rid of junk.

Gadolt and Shulk went to Junks to put back what they'd borrowed, Kallian tagging along. Linada intercepted then while they were on their out. "Miqol would like to see you," she simply said.

"Thank you for telling us," Gadolt said.

"It's nothing."

The trio went to the main room, where Miqol as waiting for them.

"How did cleaning that house go?" he asked.

"It went well," Shulk replied. There was an unspoken rule that, unless stated otherwise, Miqol addressed himself to Shulk. "Linada said you wanted to see us?"

"Yes, yes I do. You see, a friend of mine is coming to visit to visit in a few days and I just received a message from him. I usually give him some technology in exchange for information on the outside world, but he's also asked for some mechon parts. I was wondering if you'd be willing to go retrieve them, as we don't have any on hand."

Shulk glanced back at the other two, who nodded. "We'll do it. What do we have to get?"

Miqol handed him a piece of paper. He took a look at the list. Some of the parts were hard to find normally, but in a place surrounded by mechon, it shouldn't be _too_ challenging. "It won't be a problem," he declared.

"Thank you, all three of you," Miqol said. He turned his gaze to Gadolt. "And what about you? Adapting well?"

"Yes," he replied. "I wasn't expecting to do it so fast, but it's nice here."

"Glad you like it, if there's anything you need, you know where to find me. That goes for you too, Kallian."

"Thank you," Kallian and Gadolt said at the same time.

"You can go now; I know those parts can be hard to find."

The trio left, as Shulk passed the list to the other two.

"You know where to get these?" Gadolt asked.

"Well, I know which mechon they're easiest to get from," Shulk replied, "but not where those mechon are or if they are any around here."

"Let's hope there are," Kallian sighed.

"Who do you think Miqol's friend is?" Gadolt asked.

"Who knows," Shulk shrugged. "We'll find out in a few days."


	16. 16- Unexpected Reunion

It had taken three days to find all of the parts that Miqol had asked them to find. Shulk hadn't gotten much sleep during that time. He'd split his time between finding the parts Miqol had asked them to find and working on perfecting the flight packs. Sleep had been low priority, not to mention one good thing about his new body was that he didn't need as much sleep as he used to.

Once they'd collected all of the parts, Kallian had suggested that they rest up at the Distant Fingertip, since Shulk had just finished Gadolt's flight pack. No one had any objections to the idea, so they'd gone.

They'd been there for almost two hours now, lounging and enjoying the view. Shulk was taking a nap, which was well deserved, in his opinion.

Gadolt looked out to the horizon. He wasn't looking at anything in particular, but he wouldn't deny that the view was pretty. It was breathtaking, actually. If he ever met up with Sharla again, he'd make sure to bring her here.

He spotted what looked like a ship flying in. He nudged Kallian and pointed to it. "What kind of ship is that?"

Kallian looked at it as best as he could from this distance. "It looks like a really old High Entia transport. I've only seen this model in pictures; I didn't know they were still in use."

"Must be Miqol's friend. Who would have access to that ship model?"

Kallian shrugged. "They've been out of commission for longer than I've been alive, so I have no idea."

"Then let's go find out," Gadolt declared as he stood up. He nudged Shulk with his foot.

At that exact moment, Linada called them on their comms. "If you've finished collecting all of the parts, could you come down to Junks?"

The call woke up Shulk, who sat straight up.

Gadolt laughed softly. "We're on our way," he told Linada.

Kallian took the bag with the parts and stood. Shulk stood as well, though he stumbled and almost fell off the cliff. Gadolt caught him just in time, but it wouldn't really have mattered; he had a flight pack after all. They took off and headed back to the village.

"You two go on ahead," Shulk said once they'd landed, "I'll go get the bag with the rest of the parts."

Shulk went back to his house. He'd left the bag in the office. He stepped over what he'd been working on. He quickly grabbed the bag and went back to Junks.

He took a moment to look at the ship Miqol's friend had come in. It looked very old, the paint was chipped in multiple areas and it was pretty banged up. It was still in very good condition though, considering everything else. The thrusters looked a little like the cliffs near the cylinder hangar back in Colony 9. It was likely made by the same civilisation. He had to remember to ask Miqol's friend what it was, though he was pretty sure it was the High Entia.

He went into Junks and made his way to the main room. He paused when the door opened. There was no way. But it was.

"Dickson?"

0o0

Sharla had taken the habit of stopping by Fiora's little restaurant during her lunch break. It was was delicious and felt like home. She'd told that to her.

As a reply, Fiora had laughed. "Aw, thanks, I do put my heart and soul into making every single plate. Though I'm going to be leaving in about a week, so you'll have to find somewhere else."

"Really?" Sharla said, suprised. "Where are you going?"

"Valak Mountain," Fiora replied. "Supposedly, that's where the Monado -the only weapon able to damage mechon normally- is. It's our only chance against them, especially since our weapons can't harm the faced ones."

"Be careful." Sharla paused. "Will you be passing through Makna Forest?"

"Yup! The forest has the only direct path to the mountain."

"Can you do me a favor while you're there? Ruby said there was a Homs colony there. If you find it and see Ruby, I'd like you to thank him for me and tell him that he should come by Colony 9 sometime." Sharla had decided that Ruby was from that colony, though no one had ever heard of it.

"Sure, though I'm sure it would mean more to him if you were the one to tell him."

"Would it be possible for me to come along?"

"Well…" Fiora hesitated. "The coats we need for the cold of Valak Mountain were, well, they weren't cheap."

"Hmm, yeah that could be a problem."

"Otherwise though, I'm sure Dunban and Reyn wouldn't mind, especially since Reyn gets hurt a lot, so having someone who can heal us during battle would be amazing. I'll talk with them later and see what I can do."

"Thank you. Well, I should get going, I'll see you later."

"See you around."

Sharla returned to the military district, where she'd easily found a job as a medic. While it was pretty frantic thanks to Colonel Vangarre's… questionable training methods, it was much less stressful than at the camp.

She was getting more and more used to living here and she liked it. She would eventually have to find a house, but Dunban and Fiora were welcoming. She was very, very thankful for that. Maybe, one day, she could even live here with Gadolt if he was still alive out there somewhere. She was sure he was, she would've felt it if he'd died.

She couldn't help but wonder, though, why he hadn't gone to the camp. Something had probably stopped him from going there.

She hoped she could go with Fiora, Reyn and Dunban on their expedition to Valak Mountain, as it gave her an excuse to search for him.

0o0

Dickson turned to the door, who had just opened. Miqol had said that someone else was coming with more parts. He froze . There was no way. It was just someone who looked an awful lot like him.

"Dickson?"

There was no mistaking it. He wiped the shock from his face and replaced it with his signature smirk.

"Shulk! What the hell are you doing here?"

"I should be the one asking you that!" Shulk replied, his own shock replaced with surprise.

"You died!" Dickson exclaimed.

"I did!" Shulk exclaimed back. "But how do you know this place exists?"

"That is a story for another day," Dickson replied. "I'll explain everything later."

"Well," Miqol intervened before this could turn into a shouting match, "It seems I don't need to do the introductions here."

"I'm missing something here aren't I?" Gadolt whispered into Kallian's ear.

"Yeah, definitely."

Miqol continued, having not heard Gadolt and Kallian's exchange. "As you can see, quite a few things have changed since you were last here, Dickson. Shulk has been with us for two months, while Kallian has been here a month and half and Gadolt joined us just four days ago. It's been eventful."

"Just two months? Are you sure?" Dickson said. "The mechon attack on Colony 9 was five months ago."

"Five months!" Shulk replied. "I've been dead for almost half a year!" He sounded more shocked than anything else, which was understandable, considering his memory loss.

"I wouldn't say dead," Dickson chimed in, "since you seem to be very much alive. But yeah, almost half a year. That does put things in perspective."

"If it makes you feel better Shulk," Gadolt added, "I've been for half a year."

"That doesn't help," Shulk replied, dead-panned.

"I tried," Gadolt shrugged.

Miqol sighed and spoke up, trying to get the conversation back on track. "I put these three in charge of gathering all of the parts you requested. What can you tell me?"

"Well, as you've probably noticed," Dickson motioned to Shulk, Kallian and Gadolt, "there's been an increase in mechon attacks recently. Colony 6, Colony 9 and even Alcamoth were attacked, though there's only been one attack on all of those locations. From some intel I got, there's been a lot of activity in Galahad Fortress; Egil's probably preparing something big."

Dickson paused, either to gather his thoughts or for dramatic effect, Shulk wasn't sure, though both would be a very Dickson-like thing to do. "One of my informants thinks that the faced mechon could actually be piloted by Homs, though he isn't certain of it."

"We can confirm that," Kallian said without skipping a beat. "We're only as you see us now because we've been turned into the central nerve unit of a mechon."

"What," Dickon said flatly.

"He's right," Shulk agreed, "every single faced mechon has a pilot."

"Most of them are brainwashed -their memories from their previous lives erased.'" Gadolt added. "It seems only the ones that are really high up there aren't."

"That's… interesting," Dickson said.

A heavy silence fell. No one really dared to speak. As per usual, it Miqol who broke it.

"Well, that's about it," he declared. "Shulk I'm sure you and Dickson have a lot to talk about so don't let me be the one to hold you here any longer."

"Yeah, we'll be heading back too," Gadolt said as he grabbed Kallian by the arm and nearly dragged him out of Junks.

"We'll be at home!" Kallian shouted as he was led out.

Shulk and Dickson left as well. Just as Miqol had said; they had a lot to talk about.

0o0

Fiora closed shop when she ran out of food, which was around three in the afternoon. She put everything away and set out to find Reyn and Dunban. They both worked in the Military district, so she started there.

She quickly found Dunban, who was giving sword lessons to some recruits. She waited until he was done before going to see him.

"Dunban, can I ask you something?" she said as she joined him.

"Ask away."

"I was talking with Sharla earlier and she said she'd like to join us. I said I'd ask you two as well, to make sure you were alright with it."

"I see no problem with that," Dunban replied. "It's always good to have a medic along, especially with Reyn's fighting style."

"That's what I was saying, too. The only real problem to it is the coat for Valak Mountain."

"Indeed. Though it's not that much of a problem. I was talking with Anson the other day and he said that he had enough materials to make another coat, should someone else come along. All that person had to do was to come by his house and mention our names."

"I'll go ask Reyn and then go find Sharla."

"There's no need, I'll talk to Reyn when he comes by later. Sharla is at the infirmary, I believe."

"Thank you."

Fiora headed to the infirmary, where she found Sharla.

"Sharla, do you have a minute?" she asked.

"Of course, what is it?"

"I have good news about what we were talking about earlier. Dunban agrees completely with you coming along, Reyn too." She didn't for sure yet if Reyn was alright with it, but she was sure he would be.

"What about the coat?" Sharla asked.

"You just have to go see Anson and mention us. He'll arrange things from there. You know where he lives?"

"In the courtyard on the south end of the residential district, right?"

"Yup! It's the first house when you go up the stairs."

"Alright, I'll head there after my shift and then tell you how it went."

"See you later."

Fiora went back to the main area of the military district, where Dunban met up with her.

"I don't have anything to do for awhile," he said as he presented her with practice swords. "Want to spar?"

She took one of the swords. " It's been awhile, but you're on."

0o0

Shulk and Dickson sat at the edge of Junks' platform. It was the closest private place they'd found to talk.

"Five months, huh," Shulk started. "How is everyone?"

"Your parents didn't leave the house for two weeks. Your mom's been working almost day in and day out making weapons and trying to perfect her transport project. Your dad took up the sword again." Dickson gathered himself for a moment before continuing. "Reyn didn't leave his house for a week, then he spent the entirety of the next week training. Fiora… I don't know. She didn't show her emotions in public, but it was pretty obvious to anyone that she was hurting."

Shulk didn't know how to respond. Of course, he'd expected his friends and family to mourn him in their own ways but hearing about it was… something else. It felt wrong. People only mourned when their loved ones were dead.

"How are they now?" he asked.

"They're getting better. There's still pain, but it's healing. Day by day, things get better. The colony is recovering, too." Dickson said quietly.

A comfortable silence fell over them.

"Have you worked on anything since you've been here?" Dickson asked.

Shulk's eyes lit up. That was the reaction he'd hoped. "I've been keeping myself busy. Want to see?"

"You don't even need to ask."

Shulk explained to him the process of making the flight packs and how Miqol had modified his blades. Dickson listened intently, taking mental notes.

0o0

Sharla made her way to Anson's home. She'd never been in it, but she knew where it was thanks to the barbecue the other day. She knocked on the door and he answered it almost immediately.

"How may I help you?"

"I'm friends with Fiora, Reyn and Dunban. They told me to come see you about a coat?"

His eyes lit up with recognition. "Ah, yes. Come on in." He gestured for her to come in and led her further into the house. They went into a room that she assumed was his office, or, at least, is work space.

"I should have enough fabric to make another coat without needing to go gather the materials needed," he said. "I just need to take your measurements. If the coat is too big or too small, it won't retain heat properly."

Sharla wasn't sure what to reply. Anson was so...unlike what she'd expected. He was much more mellow than his wife and he radiated warmth and love. There seemed to always be a smile on his face. He took her measurements and wrote things down in a book he'd pulled out of one if his pockets.

"Do you have enough?" Sharla asked.

"I do," he replied. "I know the others want to leave by the end of the week, so I'll rush it and should be done in four days."

"Don't overwork yourself."

"Don't worry, I won't," he assured her. "You live with Dunban and Fiora, yes? I'll drop by when it's done."

"Thank you."

He led her back to the main room, where he offered her something to drink. Not one to dismiss someone's hospitality, she took it.

He asked her about her time in the colony and how she was adapting. She answered truthfully. Just like Elinor, Anson had an effect on people that made them want to talk about what was eating at them. Despite that, it was still a very pleasant conversation.

"You know," Anson eventually said. "Elinor and I will look after Juju while you're gone."

"That was what I the most worried about leaving," she admitted. "Are you sure you can handle it?"

"We know how to take care of children don't worry. We practically raised Reyn and Fiora along with Shulk. He'll be safe. Besides, school starts over soon, I'm sure you want him to attend."

"I was going to send him there," she agreed. "He hasn't been to school in six months, he has a lot of catching up to do."

"I'm sure he'll fit in just fine."

They talked a little more until Sharla eventually had to leave. She thanked him for everything and left.

She reminded him a little of Elinor when she was the same age. He hoped that that unlike the previous team that went out to Valak Mountain , they would come back alive, with or without the Monado. Preferably with, but there was no proof the weapon actually existed.

He hoped it did. Deaths could be avoided. Deaths could have been avoided. There was no way to bring back the dead though, so it was no use lingering on _what ifs_.

0o0

As the sun started to set, Dickson declared it was time for him to go. Shulk walked with him for the few steps it took to get to his ship. It was indeed an old high Entia ship that he'd gotten from one of his informants.

"So," Shulk said, "everyone's getting better right?"

"They are," Dickson smiled. "They'll be even better when I tell them you're still alive."

"I would rather you don't tell them."

Dickson stared at him like he'd grown a second head. "What do you mean? Don't you want them to know?"

"Don't get me wrong; I do want them to know I'm alive, but not like this. Considering Fiora, Reyn and Dunban were there when I died, I don't think they'd believe you. I think they'd be more worried if they learnt that I'm out there somewhere, in a place they can't go to."

"That…" Dickson hated to admit it, "That makes sense. I won't tell anyone though, but promise me this. Don't die until you can see them again. You will see them again. Whether it's next week or next year, you'll meet again."

"I will," Shulk assured him.

"Take care of yourself, kid."

Shulk watched as Dickson boarded his ship and left the fallen arm, likely returning to Colony 9.

* * *

 **Author's note:** You can now also find me on AO3, where I have the same username. I'm crossposting fics between both sites, though now I only have this story up and another one in another fandom. Feel free to check it out!

Thank you all for your kind reviews, they really do mean alot to me. Thanks for reading!


	17. 17- Long Road Ahead

Chapter 17- Long Road Ahead

Everything was ready. Fiora, Dunban Reyn and Sharla were ready to leave for Valak mountain. The coats were ready, rations were packed, flasks were filled and weapons were sharpened.

They'd gone over everything they'd need more times that they could count. They'd gone over the map countless times. At dawn, they would leave, nearly two months after they'd originally planned to, and with one more person in tow. Not that any of them were complaining about that.

They were ready. There was a bit of nervousness in the air, but they were ready.

At the first hint of sunlight, they met up at the mouth of Tephra Cave. They made their way through it without speaking much, saving their energy. The plan for the day was to make it as far up Bionis Leg as possible. They'd decided to avoid travelling at night, so they would have a lower chance of running into the more aggressive animals. Elinor had told them that this was especially true in Satorl marsh. While it was prettier at night, it was also deadlier. They kept this in mind as they made their way to the ruins of Colony 6.

It took them two days to reach it and, as they passed by, Sharla promised herself that she would rebuild. Even if it took years upon years, she would see Colony 6 in all of it's glory again.

They stayed the night there, making a fire by the fortified walls. They made the travel plan for the next day; travel through roughly ⅔ of the terrain before stopping at the glowing obelisk there to rest.

They'd decided they would enter Satorl marsh before first light. It was more dangerous at night, yes, but according to Elinor, as long as they stayed away from the barren moor they _should_ be fine. They would be extremely careful, they told themselves.

While the sun hadn't waned yet, they started to get ready to sleep. They would have to be awake early, after all.

Dunban took first watch. He remembered the last Monado expedition.

A team of experienced adventurers had sent out to find the sword and had never come back. Dickson had gone after them when no word had been received in a month. He'd never found their bodies, but he'd found their packs. He'd concluded they'd either been killed by monsters or engulfed by a blizzard. He wasn't sure which death was worse.

He looked at the people sleeping around him. He wouldn't let history repeat itself. He wouldn't let any of them get hurt. Not on his watch.

He eventually woke Reyn so he could get some sleep. He wasn't expecting to get much of it, but he could at least try.

Reyn stood watch then Fiora, then Sharla. She was the one woke everyone up. They bantered through breakfast before setting out for Satorl Marsh. It was still dark, but it didn't bother them. They entered the marsh around 3 in the morning.

"It's beautiful," Fiora said as the rising mist came into view.

"I've never seen the ether mist from this close," Sharla said. "I'd only ever see it from the colony."

"It's quite a sight, that's for sure," Dunban added. "We can't let our guard down though. One moment of inattention could cost us greatly out here."

"Right," they all responded in unison.

As they continued deeper into the marsh, all Reyn could think of was that he wished Shulk could see this place. He was sure he would wonder about the cause of the ether mist. He wanted to see the look on Shulk's face when he first saw this place.

Shulk was dead, he couldn't deny that, but imagining Shulk reacting to what he saw made it better, somehow. Carefully, they made their way through the marsh.

They passed by a nopon camp. They offered only one piece of advice: stay away from igna territory. They'd kidnapped one of theirs a while back and while she'd come back safely, it was only because she'd given them the information they wanted. The Homs took that advice to heart as they went deeper into the marsh.

They reached the glowing obelisk around midday. They had enough time to make it to the exit of the marsh by sun wane, if nothing went wrong. They hoped nothing went wrong.

They took a break at the obelisk. Like Elinor had said, monsters stayed away from it. They ate and rested before setting off again.

Though no one said it out loud, they all found this trip oddly unnerving. Nothing had happened. Nothing had gone wrong. They hadn't even been attacked, not even by volffs. It wasn't unwelcome, but it was odd.

Eventually, they reached the landmark Elinor had marked on their map as "Mauk Floodgates."

"Either Elinor doesn't know what a floodgate is, or whoever built this doesn't know what a floodgate is," Reyn said flatly.

The structure itself looked grand, but it did a terrible job of keeping the water on one side of it.

"I'm sure it was functional once," Dunban said. "Elinor _did_ say these were ruins."

"Still even if these _are_ ruins, that transparent part of it looks purposeful," Sharla added.

"Still, I'm sure it functioned before it became ruins," Fiora said. "I wonder why the High Entia left the lower regions, though."

Everyone shrugged.

"We'll have to ask them, if we ever run into any," Reyn said.

"Yeah, we'll have to," Sharla laughed.

They continued toward the two statues.

"I'm not the only one who sees no way forward from here, right?" Fiora said as they reached an altar of sorts.

"According to Elinor, the way to Makna Forest _is_ where the statues are," Sharla added.

She'd taken out the map Elinor had annotated and they could clearly see, written in her neat handwriting with an arrow leading to it "path to Makna at the top of the statutes."

"So we climb the statues?" Reyn said.

"Apparently," Dunban replied. "I thought Elinor had meant that there was a path leading to the top of the statues, but she meant climbing them."

"She could've been a bit more specific," Sharla sighed.

"Well, there's no point in just hanging around here and hope a path shows up," Fiora declared. "Let's get climbing."

Slowly, they made their way up the statues. They were glad for the vines on the more vertical parts of them.

It took them about three hours to get to the top. They rested there for awhile, breathing hard. Once everyone had caught their breath, they moved on.

There was indeed an exit up ahead. They walked through it.

They weren't sure what they expected, but it definitely wasn't this. Whatever "this" actually was.

"I think we're inside the Bionis," Sharla said.

"I never thought I'd ever go inside the Bionis," Fiora muttered. "It feels...wrong, almost."

"It almost feels alive," Dunban added.

"Well it better not be alive," Reyn said, "if it starts moving it'd be a problem for us Homs."

"Let's hope it never comes to that," Fiora replied, shuddering at the thought.

"Let's keep going," Sharla said. "This entire area isn't on Elinor's map. All the notes say is to 'trust the yellow liquid.'"

"What does that mean?" Reyn asked.

"We'll find out when we get there," she shrugged.

They kept walking until the yellow liquid came into view. There was a pool of it ahead from where a geyser emerged every few minutes.

"What is that?" Sharla said, her voice a mix of amazement and horror.

"It's..um...it's yellow...stuff," Fiora replied. She tried her best not think of what it could actually be. She almost didn't want to know what it was. Especially considering they'd just gone around the Bionis and were now at the bottom of its back.

"Let's keep it at that and wash up at the first body of water we find," Dunban shuddered.

They all agreed.

After a quick swim, being thrown into the air and a fast walk as they tried not to think of what kind of liquid they'd just been in, they walked out into Makna Forest.

Green. There was green as far as the eye could see. In the distance, a massive tree towered above the rest of the forest. The sky seemed to almost be sparkling above them. To their right, waterfalls raged and crashed down, forming a river that snaked through the canyon. A rainbow hovered lazily above the falls.

Fiora had taught that Satorl Marsh had been one of the prettiest things she'd ever seen and that was true; but this view of Makna Forest was close second.

Of course, Reyn had to ruin the mood.

"Ugh, who turned up the heat?" he moaned. "I'm sweatier than a brog's armpit. How much longer until we reach the mountain?"

"We have to go through the entire forest," Fiora said. "You've seen the map. The way to the mountain is beyond the fourth bridge."

"But first," Sharla interjected, "we have to find a place to wash up. I don't know how much longer I can stand Reyn's stench."

"Hey!"

"She's right," Fiora said, "besides, we better wash off… whatever that was back there."

"Agreed," Dunban said. "There looks to be a path that leads to the bed of the river. We can wash up and make camp there."

They made their way down the path that snaked at the edge of the cliff. It took them nearly an hour to reach the bottom. None of them looked forward to going back up the trail.

Once they were certain the caterpiles in the area would leave them alone, they stopped by the shore.

The boys set up camp while the girls washed off, then the boys washed off as well. They'd decided that it would be best if they saved their rations for when they reached the mountain.

Fiora and Reyn killed some caterpiles while Sharla shot down some pistis.

Fiora made a stew out of it all and it tasted delicious. She seemed to have knack for making even the weirdest of foods edible.

They took turns taking watch overnight and after eating some leftovers for breakfast, set off again.

In the early morning, the heat was bearable, but by the time they reached the top of the hill, the heat was grueling. They took a short rest at the top and kept going.

"This must be one of the bridges Elinor talked about," Sharla said as they approached it, "it looks Homs made." Ruby hadn't lied after all; there was a colony here.

"Nopon made, actually," Dunban corrected her, "though many of them now live in our colonies, they originated from Makna Forest."

So, no signs of a Homs colony after all.

"So we look for this fourth bridge and search for a Homs colony here, right?" Reyn said.

"Yes," Dunban confirmed, "let's also keep our eyes open for danger. Who knows what this forest has in store."

"Right," Fiora declared, "Let's go everyone."

 **Author's notes:** I know that the yellow stuff is in the lung, and is in no way what the characters are thinking it is, but they don't know they're in the lung. (And let's be real here, we all thought the same thing on our first play through.)

Also hey! It's been awhile! I've been dealing with a lot of stuff that just slowed down the development of this chapter. It killed me to not be able to post, and I'm glad I'm back. Unfortunately, I won't be able to update much until December comes around.

There's another thing I really debated telling you guys, but it's probably best if you know.

I'm going on hiatus. Writing is what keeps me alive, what fuels my fire, but I need to step away from this story for awhile.

I might (big, very hypothetical might) still post chapters or other stories, I'm not going to just stop writing. It's just gonna be very (very) slow for awhile.

If you want to, you can also contact me on here, on AO3 (I have the same username as here) or on my tumblr ( starlilith,tumblr,com ) if you have any questions or if you just want to talk about Xenoblade (which I'm always down for).

Thanks for understanding and until next time.


	18. 18- Melia

"Melia, are you certain?" The Emperor asked. "This a very dangerous mission. We can send soldiers that will take the beast down."

"I am certain of this father," Melia replied, determined. "The mission is dangerous, yes, but I feel I can do it with less casualties than there would be if you were to send a squad."

"The ministries are in agreement," Lorithia declared, "not only would this be benefitting the city, but it would be proving to the people that Melia is fit to be empress."

After a little more deliberation, it was agreed that Melia, accompanied with any men of her choosing, would leave for Makna Forest two days from now to take down the telethia that had escaped from a laboratory.

Melia excused herself to her room to prepare. This was a distraction more than anything else. An escape from the palace. It had become too quiet. She sat on her bed, lost in thought.

Five months. Kallian had been dead for five months. Even if that mechon had flown off with his body, they'd tried to find it, trying to see if the mechon had dropped him. As expected, nothing had been found. Those efforts had been mainly for the people, who were outraged there was no body to put to rest. Their prince would never rest in peace, as he couldn't rest with his ancestors. She heard from servants around the palace that in the city, people had placed offerings all throughout the city for him, so his spirit could know that the people remembered him.

Before his death, he'd thrown the entire palace into chaos. He brought evidence that the empress had been working with the Bionite order to kill Melia and was the one who had ordered the attack in the tomb. Melia knew that if it hadn't been for his warning to be careful, she would be dead as well.

The empress and her allies had been imprisoned and were awaiting trial. Some had already been executed, but the matter was more delicate when it came to the empress. She hadn't lost her title, but she'd lost all privileges that came with it. Then again, the only reason she still had the title was because this was still an internal affair that the people and most palace staff weren't aware of. If her title was removed, the people would learn of it and the investigations would only become more complicated than they already were.

She already knew which men she would take with her. Her personal guard, obviously, but as well as several other guards that had once been part of Kallian's guard. He'd fought for it to be smaller as he'd grown older since he could defend himself. She wondered if he hadn't, if he would still be alive today.

Five months. Kallian had been dead for five months and she still mourning him. She thought of him everyday and it hurt. She'd hurt when her mother had died, but that was nothing compared to this.

She had to start the preparations for the trip to Makna forest. She had to go inform the men-her men, that they were leaving and had to start getting ready. She also needed to train a little more and get as much information on the escaped telethia as she could, not to mention draft a battle plan. This was going to be a long day.

Two days later, they set off toward Makna forest with the emperor's blessing. With help from the local nopon, they were able to find where the telethia was hiding. It seemed to be moving from spot to another, sucking out the ether as it went.

They found that the easiest day to track it was to find the areas of the forest with the highest concentration of ether, since those were the places it went to. It was only a matter of time before they fought it. They were ready, or so they hoped.

0o0

Despite their efforts, the telethia hid itself very well. Even the local nopon couldn't help them find it. It was frustrating, but also unnerving. If the telethia continued to absorb the ether out of the forest, who knew what would happen.

It wouldn't end well, that was for sure.

While they still hadn't found the telethia, they had heard that there were, oddly enough, Homs in the area. This was another reason to get rid of the telethia; those Homs didn't stand a chance against it and would likely be slaughtered.

Eventually, they managed to hunt down the telethia and corner it.

While it could read their minds and predict their physical attacks, ether attacks were more volatile and more likely to hit. A few of Kallian's old guards were proficient with ether as well, so Melia worked with them to try to cut off the telethia's feelers, which would allow them to land physical attacks successfully.

While they did manage that, the telethia began to fly off and try to escape.

An ether shot rang through the air and hit it in one of it's heads. None of the High Entia had an ether rifle.

As one, they whirled around. The group of Homs was there, one of them wielding the rifle that had shot the telethia.

"You guys alright?" a red-headed Homs wielding a shield-like weapon asked them.

"We are fine," Melia replied.

"We figured you could use a hand," a blonde woman wielding knives added.

The telethia recovered from the shot and reared its heads.

"The help would be much appreciated, actually," Melia said, readying her staff.

 **Author's notes:** I said I'd be back in December, didn't I? It's great to be back. I just finished my first semester of college, and I'll be posting more often during my break and maybe during the winter the semester, though I'm not sure about that yet. Hope you enjoyed and I'll see you next time!


	19. 19- Monado

It had quickly become obvious that Makna Forest's heat was ridiculous.

"Isn't Valak mountain just beyond here and freezing cold?" Reyn complained.

"I stopped questioning the weather a long time ago," Dunban sighed.

After crossing the first nopon bridge, they'd found more nopon architecture, but so far, not a trace of any Homs in the area, or of any having ever been here. Sharla became more and more nervous every time they didn't find anything. It became more and more likely that Ruby was Shulk, that he hadn't died on that day. She figured that if Shulk had survived, maybe Gadolt had as well.

She knew he was still alive out there. She hoped he was alright.

While the forest's heat was ridiculous, the local wildlife was nothing to sneeze at either.

The Feris didn't ignore them like they had in Satorl Marsh, and attacked viciously. An ansel chased them for an hour until it had left them alone after they'd taken refuge in what seemed to be dead forest.

They collapsed into the ground, gasping for breath. Dunban looked back at the ansel. It was flying right around the edge of the part of dead forest they were in, like this place was somehow poisonous to it. It eventually flew away, leaving them alone.

"We should continue on our way," he declared. "There's something not right about this place."

"It's like there's no ether here," Sharla said, taking a closer look at the area. "It's almost like it was sucked out of the wildlife, so now it's dying."

"Whatever happened," Reyn said, "it's giving me the creeps."

"I agree with him," Fiora said, standing up, "let's get going. We still have three more bridges to find and cross."

After a small and very short break for water, they traced back their steps to where they'd first been attacked by the Ansel. Staying close to the ravine was the best way to see the bridges, as well as finding the colony, since it would have likely been established near water.

"What happens if we don't find the colony?" Sharla wondered aloud.

"We continue to Valak mountain," Fiora declared. "The Monado is still our priority."

"We should still try to find it though," Dunban said, "perhaps on our way back we can take some time and try to find this colony."

"Wouldn't it be better to find it first?" Reyn asked. "The people who live around here might know their way around the mountain. Wouldn't it lower our chances of getting lost if we have a guide?"

"That's a good point," Dunban said. "We'll have to wait and see."

0o0

They continued through the forest, spotting other areas of dead grass. After another hour or so, they heard shouts.

They followed the shouts, then they aw what was happening.

There was a group of what seemed to soldiers fighting… something. The thing had three heads, four legs and glowing yellow wings.

"It's the same thing that saved us when Metal Face attacked," Fiora muttered,

"Do you think these could Homs from the colony here in Makna?" Sharla asked.

"They could be," Dunban said.

Despite the wings at the top of their helmet, it might just be a decoration, especially considering they were in a forest surrounded by birds.

The telethia had feelers of sort, which the soldiers had managed to cut off.

Sharla raised her gun and aimed for one of the heads. "Let's help them out."

The others drew their weapons and headed toward the beast.

When all of the soldiers whirled around as one to see who had fired the ether shot, it was Reyn who spoke first. "You guys alright?"

"We are fine," a young woman with grey hair replied.

"We figured you could use a hand," Fiora said, pointing her chin toward the telethia, who reared its head and let out a growl.

"The help would be much appreciated," the girl said, nodding.

The fight was purely chaotic. There were a lot of fighters, and a lot of shouting. The girl shouted at them and told them that they had to do as much damage as possible.

Sharla stood back, healing as much as she could and attacked the telethia. Fiora, Dunban and Reyn joined the soldiers. Eventually, they managed to defeat it, imploding into a rain of ether.

Once the dust had settled, the soldiers surrounded the girl, seemingly protecting her.

"I am Melia," the girl said. "What are your names?"

"I'm Fiora, this is my brother Dunban, the big guy's Reyn and that's Sharla."

"Nice to meet you," Sharla said.

"Nice to meet you as well," Melia said. "Your help was very much appreciated. If there's anything we can do to help you, tell me and I will see what I can do."

"Actually," Fiora said, "we were looking for the Homs colony in this region."

The soldiers exchanged confused looks. Melia furrowed her brows, before taking a very polite tone. "There is no Homs colony in Makna forest. The nearest one is the colony on the hip of the Bionis."

Sharla's heart sank. There was confusion on Fiora, Dunban and Reyn's faces. She realised she had a lot of explaining to do.

Melia noticed how crestfallen the Homs seemed to be. "Is there perhaps something else we could do?"

"The path to Valak Mountain," Sharla said. "We're looking for the path to Valak Mountain, but we seem to be lost."

Melia smiled. "We will gladly guide you to the mountain. The bridge that leads to it collapsed recently, so the path has been blocked. However, we will help you get there through any means necessary."

"Thank you," Fiora said.

"If the bridge's collapsed, how are we gonna get there?" Reyn asked.

"If you'll come with us, we have a transport ship you can take to the mountain."

"Just give us a moment, please," Dunban said as he took Fiora's shoulder. "We need to discuss this."

"Of course," Melia said.

"Are we absolutely sure we can trust these people?" Dunban asked when they were out of earshot.

"I see no reason not to," Fiora said. "They're offering in thanks for helping them win that battle."

"Do you think they're lying about there being no Homs colony here?" Reyn asked. "They look like Homs to me."

"Their wings aren't decoration, Reyn. They're High Entia," Dunban replied.

"They're just a child's tale," Sharla said, not truly believing him.

"They do exist," Dunban said. "Elinor's grandmother was one."

"How do you know that?" Fiora asked.

"She got really drunk one night and told me her grandmother had wings on her head, I just put everything together afterwards."

"I want to hear about that later," Reyn said.

"I say we go with them," Sharla said.

"Me too," Reyn said.

"Yeah, it's our only way to the mountain since that bridge collapsed," Fiora agreed.

"Let's go, then," Dunban said.

The group returned to the High Entia.

"We will come with you," Fiora told them.

"Good," Melia nodded. "First we will go to the nopon village. Afterwards, we will be taking you to the mountain.

"Lead the way," Dunban said.

The walk to the nopon village, which was the giant tree that they'd seen when they'd first entered the forest, was an awkward one. No one truly spoke, though Reyn was trying to hear the story of Elinor being drunk. Dunban didn't tell him about it, but he really wished this nopon village was closer.

Sharla took a moment to stand back and think. Ruby wasn't from Makna Forest, hell, there was no such thing as a colony in Makna Forest. Ruby was Shulk. Shulk was Ruby.

How was she going to say that to the others? Could she say that to the others? Could she do that to them? What if she was wrong? For now, she decided, she wouldn't say anything. She wouldn't say anything until they'd recovered the Monado. That was their priority, nothing else.

A group of the soldiers went ahead to the village, and likely to where the High Entia lived.

They eventually arrived at the nopon village, where it turned out that the way to where they lived was at the top of the tree. It was a portal of sorts that lead to a place Melia introduced to them as Eryth Sea.

She seemed to be amused by their amazement.

There were floating islands. The city of the High Entia was floating. All of the islands were connected by transporters, which Reyn, Fiora and Dunban realised was what Elinor had been trying to replicate for years.

Evening set in as they walked to the city. While Dunban stopped himself from looking around with a look of complete amazement on his face, the others didn't. They were led to the entrance hall of the what Melia told them was the palace. She also told them someone would come to give them their rooms. Dunban asked if they could have the same room, to which Melia responded she would try to arrange.

A maid came to get them frighteningly quickly and led them through transporters and corridors before leading them to a single room. "Someone will come to see you shortly," she said, "please make yourselves comfortable in the meantime."

The room was turned out to be a suite. There were four bedrooms, one for each of them, what seemed to be a kitchen and a living area.

Reyn whistled. "This is the life."

Dunban carefully looked around, examining the suite. There was nothing out of the ordinary and he allowed himself to relax. "Put your weapons down," he said, "make sure you can grab them in case anything happens, but this place seems safe."

He wasn't surprised to learn that the others had already done that.

There was a balcony in their suite, and he found them all there. Night had fallen on Eryth Sea. The sky was of purple, pink and blue hues. The stars shone brightly. The bottoms of the islands were glowing with ether. It was breathtaking.

They could even see the Mechonis from where they were. Their enemy.

Eventually, there was a knock at their door, which Dunban went to open. To his surprise, it was a Homs.

"May I come in?" he asked.

"Of course," Dunban replied, opening the door further to let him in.

Everyone gathered in the living area, where the man introduced himself as Alvis, someone who worked for the imperial family. He said that they were welcome to explore this city, but to watch their behaviour since they were under the protection of the princess. The princess, it turned out, was none other than Melia.

Alvis also said that he would be their guide in Valak Mountain, since he was familiar with the area and it was dangerous to go there without knowing where to go.

Dunban thanked him, then asked if he knew when they would leave for Valak Mountain. Alvis said it would take a day or two to organise a transport. Until then, they were free to wander and explore the city, though he did warn them that there were restricted areas in the palace.

While they all wanted to go out and explore, they were also tired. They decided that they would rest for now and explore later.

They all decided on their rooms, then went to sleep.

Fiora hoped that they would find the Monado. It was their only chance at survival. She wasn't sure what to do about the fact that the High Entia existed, though she was still processing it. She also really wanted to hear that story about Elinor being drunk. She'd been raised by Dunban, but also by Elinor and Anson who had provided for her and her brother. She wondered just how much she didn't know about Elinor.

Sharla had trouble finding sleep, still haunted by Ruby's words. He'd said he was from a colony in Makna, which was now clearly a lie. Why had he lied? Why hadn't he just said he was from colony 9, which she now realised was likely what it was? Now, she also wondered, why he had been so insistent on keeping his hood on and returning to his own camp every night. Why had he insisted on staying away? What had he been hiding? His swords had been able to rip through Mechon as if they were butter, and Dickson was the only one who really knew how to make them, and its design was very different from any other weapon he'd made. Ruby looked exactly like Shulk. Shulk looked exactly like Ruby. There was now very little doubt in her mind that they were the same person. She just had to figure out how to say it to the others.

The next morning after breakfast, they headed out toward the city. They spent most of the day in the plaza. While they were given odd looks, they were also approached by many curious.

As it turned out, their story had quickly traveled across the city. The fact that they had taken down a telethia, which was "pretty damn amazing" according to many. A few even offered them drinks, which they kindly refused. "You may be 18," Dunban had said, "you're not drinking with High Entia, and neither are you, Sharla."

They also did some shopping, buying better equipment and supplies. They had their coats ready for Valak Mountain, but they did buy some extra water bottles.

They eventually returned to their suite, where they ate supper. They were informed that they would be leaving for Valak Mountain the next morning.

They were ready, they had been ready for months. Hopefully, they would find the Monado.

The next morning, Alvis joined them and once they were ready, they headed out for the centre gate, where a transport ship was waiting for them.

They landed in Makna forest, beyond the collapsed bridge. The captain of the ship told them that while they couldn't wait for them to return, they would make sure the bridge was repaired before they left.

They walked ahead, entering Valak Mountain.

A cold wind hit them immediately and it reminded them to stop to put on their coats. Alvis watched them do it, staying in his own, though he did close it.

"Aren't you cold?" Reyn asked him.

"I am used to this weather; it doesn't faze me," he simply replied.

Once they were all bundled up, Alvis told them to be careful. It was a long way down if they tripped.

As they carefully made their way down the mountain, Fiora took a moment to watch the mountain. She'd never seen snow before and it was fascinating to see it slowly fall to the ground. It looked like the entire world was white. The sky was more grey than blue, though somehow, it didn't look bleary or depressing. It looked peaceful. As he breaths came out in little puffs, she saw that the world here was a peaceful place despite the bitter cold.

"Why don't we just slide down the mountain?" Reyn asked when they were about halfway there, "it would be faster and a lot more fun."

"I would advise against it," Alvis said. "Ahead of here is a cheer cliff that you would go sailing off of and either die or sustain massive injuries."

"Never mind."

They eventually arrived at an area that Alvis called the Hollow Bone. He explained that once they were all the way down, there was a tower where they could rest for the night.

"Actually," Dunban said before they slid down the tunnel of ice, "we're looking for the Monado which is supposedly in this region. Might you know where it is?"

Alvis was quiet for a moment, as if considering what Dunban had said. "I will take you to the tower first, then I will tell you where the blade you seek is."

It seemed suspicious to Dunban, but he kept his mouth shut. He made sure that Alvis went ahead in the tunnel and kept an eye on his all the way to the tower.

Around the tower was a wall of ice, though there was a small crevice that they walked through. Once at the base of Ose tower, they realised that the door had frozen over.

"What do we do?" Reyn asked.

"There is a lake of lava not far from here, just passed the geyser we walked by earlier. In that cavern, there should be rocks warm enough to melt the ice," Alvis said.

"Couldn't we make camp somewhere else?" Sharla asked. "We still have a few hours until night."

"The nights here are even colder than now," Alvis replied, "I am afraid you simply could not withstand the cold, even if you slept in tents. The tower will protect us from the cold and from freezing to death in our sleep."

"Let's go look for those rocks," Dunban declared.

While they walked back through the crevice and toward the cavern, Alvis looked back at the tower, spotting imprints in the snow. Someone had been here, and recently. Whoever they were, they'd blocked the entrance to the tower. He had no idea who it could be, but he had a good as to why it had been frozen shut.

0o0

As it turned out, the lava cave was warm, almost too warm for their coats, though they kept them on so they wouldn't have to put them back on later.

They had to fight a few feris and nebulae, along with a lexos, before they could find a magma rock, as Alvis had called it.

On their return trip to the tower, they spotted things flying in the sky ahead, though they couldn't tell what it was since the snow was now falling harder and had become a blizzard. Whatever it was, it didn't look good. They walked faster, hoping whatever was flying up there hadn't spotted them.

They melted the ice and the doors opened for them. Alvis had been right; it was quite warm inside. When the doors closed behind them, the sounds of the raging blizzard outside faded to nothing but what sounded like the wind blowing in the distance.

"What is that?" Fiora asked, pointing to the thing resting on a pedestal in the center of the room ahead.

"That," Alvis said, "is the very thing you were looking for; the Monado."

"No way," Reyn muttered.

"The Monado is a weapon that can cut through mechon, as I am certain you have heard."

"Can we just, take it?" Fiora asked, unsure now that she actually saw it in front of her very eyes.

"In these dark times, the Monado is needed," Alvis said. "You may indeed take it, but be warned; only one person may wield it. It will reject anyone else."

"I'll take it," Dunban declared. "I know how to use blades, it shouldn't be too hard to get used to the Monado."

"Actually," Alvis added, "it is the Monado who chooses its wielder, not the other way around."

"How do we know who it chooses?" Reyn asked.

"Yeah," Sharla agreed, "we can't just ask it."

"It is trying to communicate with one of you. The one of you who feels it pull at them is the one it has chosen."

"Its calling out to me," Fiora whispered. "I can feel it."

"Then go for it," Reyn declared.

"Please be careful," Dunban warned, quickly looking between Alvis, the Monado and his sister. He had a bad feeling about this.

Wordlessly, Fiora reached out for the Monado.

Just as she touched the hilt, her eyes glowed blue and the world turned to black.

* * *

 **Author's notes:** A year ago today (December 20th, 2016) I posted the first chapter of Ruby Face. Though I starting work on it in august of 2015, I consider that day to be the day where it really started. It's been a fun ride, and we're just getting started. I'd like to thank everyone, not only those who've been here since the start, but also those who've just started reading recently. Heck, in September, this fic reached ten thousand views! When I posted the first chapter, I never expected a hundred views, let alone ten thousand. I can't even begin to express how much that means to me. I hope I can still count on your support for the next… however long it'll take.


	20. 20- Heading Out

Shulk stretched. The gun he'd been working on for Kazat was almost complete; he just had to arrange the aiming system. His mind kept drifting back to Dickson.

He didn't know why he'd told him to not tell the others. Sure, they _would_ worry, but it was more than that. He was a mechon now. The very thing they'd been at war with since long before he was born. He couldn't go back to them. As terrible as it sounded, it was for the best of they kept thinking he was dead. His home was here, in the hidden village, and not in colony 9, or anywhere on the Bionis for that matter.

He sighed as he put the final touches on the gun. He figured he should deliver it as soon as possible, so he wrapped it and left.

He'd become the official weapon maker of the village, sharing the title with Miqol.

Just as he was about to leave, Kallian appeared at the door.

"We're going to spar with Karlos, want to come along?"

"Sure, just let me deliver this. I'll join you guys in a minute."

"Alright, we'll be waiting."

Shulk delivered the gun and went to join the others. They always practiced by the twin bridges. He flew over there and found Gadolt fighting against Karlos. Close range combat clearly wasn't his specialty.

Karlos beat Gadolt pretty easily. "I really need to practice close range," he groaned as he climbed to his feet.

"You really do," Kallian laughed. "I think even Melia could beat you in hand-in-hand, and she's trained for long range as well."

"Please don't compare me to your sister," Gadolt sighed.

"She's pretty strong; it's not an insult."

"You said she could beat me."

"I was insulting you, not my sister."

"Thanks I appreciate it."

"You're welcome."

Kallian saw Shulk approach. "There you are!" He said as a greeting. "Care to help us beat Gadolt?"

"I heard that," the one in question said.

"Well it _is_ true that you need to get better at close ranged combat," Shulk said. "Even if Jade Face is meant to be a strictly long range weapon, you never know when you'll have to fight at close range."

"I'm well aware," Gadolt sighed.

"So, with Shulk here, we can do a better spar," Karlos declared. "We'll start with Kallian and Shulk, then Shulk against me, then Gadolt against Kallian and finally Gadolt against Shulk."

"You're not fighting?" Gadolt asked.

"I'm not the one who needs extra training," Karlos smiled, looking straight at Gadolt.

"I was part of the defence force…" Gadolt muttered.

"The one in Colony 6 needs to train its soldiers better than," Karlos was smug.

"What was that?" Gadolt looked very much like he was ready to murder Karlos right then and there.

"Sounds good," Kallian exclaimed to stop them from killing each other. "Let's get started."

They went twice through the cycle they'd established, Karlos sometimes joining in and fighting against the one who wasn't currently fighting. They were pretty sure that if they'd still had their old bodies, they'd be completely sore. At the end of the final match between Gadolt and Shulk, which Shulk won, they called it a day.

They decided to go to the Distant Fingertip to rest. With their flight packs, they got there within minutes.

For a while, they talked about what they could improve about their fighting styles. The conversation eventually changed to idle chatter and then to silence. It was comfortable silence, as it tended to be.

Shulk had something weighing on his mind since he'd first seen Dickson since long before that, actually, but that he hadn't allowed himself to think about until Dickson had come.

"How do you think your family and friends would react to how you are now?" He asked.

The silence became heavy.

"What do you mean?" Gadolt asked, though he knew exactly what Shulk meant.

"I mean, we're mechon now. We've all had people we know killed by them. Now we _are_ them."

Kallian and Gadolt exchanged glances. They'd all thought about it, but none of them had said it. They hadn't found an answer, either.

"It could really go either way," Gadolt eventually said. "We're still us, we're still the people they love, but we _are_ mechon. I'd like to think that there would be no problem, but there's still a pretty big chance they wouldn't see past our armour."

"It's the same for me as well," Kallian sighed. "We were lucky to have not been attacked by mechon until the attack that killed me, so we haven't had much contact with them. However, since I was a part of the royal family, they'd probably take me for a mechon wearing the dead prince's skin, rather than actually acknowledge that their prince isn't dead."

"Wouldn't your father or your sister recognise you?" Shulk asked.

"Who knows," Kallian shrugged. It was clear to the other two that that actually meant "probably not."

"What about you?" Kallian asked after a beat of silence.

"It's like Gadolt said; it could really go either way. My friends saw me get killed by a faced mechon, so I really don't know. If they see me as one, I don't know if they'd see me or Metal Face."

"Should we even bother trying to reunite with our families?" Kallian asked.

"I-" Shulk started before pausing for a long while. "I don't know. Things could go well or terribly, terribly wrong. We have have ask ourselves if it's worth the risk."

"I think we should, eventually," Gadolt sighed. "We'd have to be very cautious, however. We'd have to plan it out, have escape routes if anything goes wrong."

"Let's not make it our main focus though," Shulk declared. "Protecting the village is still our main priority. If it happens, it'll happen."

"Yea," Kallian agreed. "This place is home now."

With somewhat renewed spirits, they headed back to the village. Their official job, as given to them by Miqol, was to stop the mechon population from getting higher and to stop anything from getting too close to the village. None of the machina were combattants, those who were having been killed when they'd tried to stop Egil all those years ago.

Over the last few years they'd had a lot of trouble protecting themselves, but now with Karlos and what had quickly been referred to as the "face unit squadron of the Hidden Village", the village was the most protected it had been in years.

While they did protect the village, they did have some secondary duties. Shulk was a weapon's engineer, Gadolt trained other machina in combat with Karlos, while Kallian helped around, but he was with Linada most of the time. Eventually, he would likely be a diplomat that represented the village to the peoples of Bionis.

They'd quickly fallen into a comfortable routine. This new routine was similar enough to their old one that it didn't feel too different. For Kallian and Shulk, the Hidden Village had been their home for awhile, but after a week or so, it had also become Gadolt's.

0o0

Shulk lay awake that night. He'd be lying to himself if he said he hadn't thought of reuniting with his family. He had, but he also knew there was probably no way they would accept him, accept what he'd become.

He felt a warm and comforting presence push against him.

"Thanks Meyneth," he muttered.

She did that often. She didn't seem to like or have the energy to come out to talk, but she did sometimes give him comfort. The idea of having someone else living inside of him was still quite odd, but she left him alone most of the time. Tonight though, she was chatty.

"What do you know of the Monado?" she asked.

"It's a weapon that can destroy mechon," Shulk answered after a moment, "there was an expedition to try to recover it 14 years ago, but the entire crew vanished. My parents were almost on the crew, but I got sick so they didn't go."

"I'm sorry to hear," she said. "It is indeed a weapon that can destroy mechon, but it is also something much more important. There is the soul of the Bionis, Zanza, trapped inside of the sword, and he must stay inside of it at all costs. Should he be freed, he would cause the end of everything; he almost did, once."

Shulk's heart sank. The hope of the Homs was a curse disguised as a blessing.

"I would like to see it for myself and make sure that it hasn't been moved," Meyneth continued. "Will you help me?"

"I said I'd help, didn't I?" Shulk answered.

"Thank you," she truly sounded thankful. "I believe it was placed in a place called Ose, might you know where that is?"

"I've never heard of the place," Shulk replied, climbing out of bed, "but I might know someone who does."

Shulk ran out of the house, ignoring the fact that it was nearly three in the morning. He knocked on Gadolt and Kallian's door. A half-asleep Gadolt answered the door, having clearly just climbed out of the couch.

"What the _hell_ Shulk?" he grumbled.

"I'm calling an emergency meeting," Shulk said quickly, "bring Kallian. Meet me at Junks as soon as you're ready."

Shulk ran off before Gadolt could respond, who closed the door before sighing. It had to be really urgent if he came knocking at three in the goddamned morning.

"Kallian!" he shouted, "Kallian wake up! We've got an emergency meeting!"

He heard a groan, a high-pitched yelp and then a crash. Gadolt couldn't quite believe that Kallian had been a prince.

"I'm here," Kallian grumbled, passing a hand in his hair to flatten it. "What's happening?" Kallian asked as they left the house.

"Shulk just ran by and called an emergency meeting."

Kallian muttered what was probably the High Entia equivalent of fuck.

When they arrived in Junks, Miqol and Linada were there. It was hard to tell if they were tired or not, but they didn't seem to know what all this was about either.

"What's all this about, Shulk?" Miqol asked once everyone had arrived.

"I think I'll let Meyneth explain," he said, "she's the one who told me everything and she'll be able to explain herself better than I can."

Shulk's eyes glowed red and a woman's voice came from him. Meyneth, they realised. She explained to the them the threat of the Monado, which Miqol and Linada knew too well. When she mentioned Ose, Kallian spoke up.

"There's no region on Bionis who's called Ose, but there is a place in Valak mountain called Ose Tower."

"Yes, that' must be it," Meyneth replied.

"I can also say that the Monado is indeed there," Kallian added, "it was sealed there long before I was born."

"What are we waiting for?" Shulk asked, the only way to know it was him who'd said was the change in voice.

"Is it safe for us to go?" Gadolt asked, putting a hand on Shulk/Meyneth's shoulder to calm them down.

"It should be fine," Miqol said. "We can handle protecting ourselves for a few days. Lady Meyneth is right; we cannot let the Monado fall into anyone's hands."

"When do we leave?" Kallian asked.

"It is best if you left under the cover of night," Linada said, "so either now or tomorrow night."

"There is no time to lose," Meyneth said. "I have a terrible feeling about all this."

"You're leaving now, then," Miqol declared. "Make any preparation you need to make and leave before the sun rises."

"Just come back in one piece," Linada told them.

Shulk's eyes were blue again as they left to quickly to quickly gather their things. Their weapons, their flight packs and some water canteens. They met up where they'd parked their units.

They entered them, powering up and connecting themselves to them. The units were a part of them. They were one and the same.

They left for Valak mountain, Kallian leading the way.

They flew in a V formation, going as fast as they could.

If the soul of the mechonis had a bad feeling about all this, nothing good could come out of it.

They could only hope they got there in time.


	21. 21-Snowy Valak Mountain

"Kallian, how long until we get there?" Gadolt asked through the comm.

"I would guess maybe an hour?" Kallian replied. "I haven't really flown in with Pearl so I have no idea."

"Is it that huge pyre up ahead?" Shulk asked.

"Probably," Kallian said. "My night vision isn't as good as yours or Gadolt's, so I can't be sure."

"The sun'll be rising soon enough," Gadolt added, "we'll know for sure then."

"Be careful," Meyneth told them. "There is something ancient and angry in this mountain, and it is not Zanza."

"Reassuring," Gadolt muttered.

0o0

There was a dome of ice surrounding the base of the tower, making it impossible for them to land nearby. Gadolt, however, had another idea. He shot a hole through the ice, giving them a way to get to the entrance if the tower.

"I can't believe you just did that," Kallian said with a mix of amazement and horror.

"I would rather not be separated from Jade if I can avoid it," he shrugged in response.

"Same here," Shulk agreed. The idea of not being able to quickly run to their units was something none of them were comfortable with.

They landed in the snow, then walked around the tower, looking for an entrance. The door opened on its own when they approached, but there was no way they could enter if they stayed in their units.

"The dome of ice protects us," Kallian said. "If something comes, we'll be able to fight it off." 

"It's what's inside the tower that worries me," Shulk muttered.

Though, according to Meyneth, whatever was angry wasn't Zanza, which was not reassuring in any way, shape or form.

When they entered the tower, the smell of rotting flesh hit them. There were bodies scattered around, some looked like they'd been trying to crawl out of the tower when they'd died.

"What happened here?" Gadolt wondered, horrified.

"How long have these people been here?" Kallian wondered.

"14 years," Shulk answered. "By Bionis, this is the monado expedition from 14 years ago. My parents almost went on that expedition."

Silence.

"We…" Gadolt recovered his composure. "We should return them to the Bionis."

"Yeah." Shulk felt numb. His parents had almost gone on that expedition. He had almost been brought along on that expedition. Shulk was pretty sure that if he still that ability to, he would've thrown up.

Without a word, they started returning the bodies. Gadolt and Kallian dragged them out, while Shulk started digging. He would've helped them with the bodies, but it was too much for him. He was digging with Ruby, using the swords to carve out the snow and reach the ground that was quite deep underneath it.

Being careful and making sure they followed customs, they returned the bodies to the Bionis, like they should have been 14 years earlier. They should have never died, but at least they could rest in peace now.

When they were done, they sat in the snow. No one wanted or had the energy to talk.

"Let's just…" Shulk eventually said, "let's just do what we came here to do."

When they walked back into the tower, they saw the red sword sitting on the pedestal.

The Monado was still there. Shulk and Gadolt saw it as the hope of the Homs, while Kallian saw it as the thing that could end the High Entia.

"Well, it's still here," Gadolt said, "now what?"

Shulk, almost as if in a trance, stepped forward and reached to grab the Monado.

He saw a group of people standing there, then the ether being sucked out of them and dying. That was what had happened. The Monado had sucked the ether out of them. The Monado, or rather, Zanza, had killed them. He also saw another group, one that looked oddly familiar and one of them grab the Monado and pick it up, releasing Zanza.

Shulk pulled back, gasping. The hand he'd used to touch the Monado was burning. Even Meyneth had recoiled, she was pushing against him, almost panicked.

"We must stop that from happening," she said. "Zanza cannot be allowed to be freed. He simply cannot."

Gadolt and Kallian shared a look. They'd never heard her sound so panicked. Whatever she'd seen, it had scared her.

"We can't let anyone get the Monado," Meyneth continued. "We cannot let anyone into this tower."

"How?" Gadolt asked.

"I have an idea," Kallian said. "But we should get some rest soon. Shulk, I know for a fact you've been awake for at least forty hours."

"Sleep does sound pretty great," he agreed.

"You two get some sleep; I'll take first watch," Gadolt said.

"Sounds great," Kallian replied, already scanning the tower for a comfortable place to sleep.

They curled up against each other, huddling for warmth though their bodies kept them warm even in the bitter cold of the mountain.

Shulk fell asleep almost instantly, leaning against Kallian. He leaned back against the wall, but was careful to not move too much so as to not disturb Shulk.

He was reminded of what was still his mission. "Protect him," Vanea had said. He still didn't quite see why Shulk needed protection, not only because his unit was Ruby Face, but also because he seemed perfectly capable of defending himself. Sure, he wasn't the best in battle, but he could handle himself. However, Shulk was also Meyneth's vessel, which Vanea had probably been aware of. It was probably because of that she'd wanted him protected.

He wondered if Vanea had also wanted to send him away, to save him from being a face unit in Egil's service.

He was glad she'd given him that order, and though he still didn't quite see the point, he would do just that. He'd protect Shulk (and Meyneth) until the bitter end.

Gadolt watched Kallian and Shulk sleep. There was no way to know just by looking at them that they were weapons of mass destruction. Ruby Face was well known for its agility and power, while Pearl Face was a mixed attacker that was part of the Vanguard of Egil's army.

They were supposed to be attacking the Bionis and its people, but here they were instead, sleeping in the floor of a tower in the middle of nowhere. Their units were mainly used for transport; in fact, they'd barely trained with their units at all, which, if he was being honest, worried Gadolt greatly.

They were ready to fight together and in unison out of their units, but certainly not in their units. He knew that if they were to be attacked now, their best bet would be for them to run. They might be able to pull something off, since Gadolt and Kallian had worked together briefly before while inside their units, but he would rather not test that theory.

He leaned back and sighed. He hadn't expected his life to go in this direction, but at least his life was still going somewhere. He wasn't being controlled anymore thanks to Meyneth, which he was eternally thankful for and he'd decided right then and there when she's saved him that he would die for her, that he would die for Shulk. He owed them a debt, and he doubted he would ever be able to repay it.

He'd initially only come with them because of that debt, but the familiarity of the hidden village and of both Shulk and Kallian had convinced him that he wasn't just staying for his debt. He felt at home there, he felt welcomed. He'd come to realise that he considered Shulk and Kallian as his family. He saw them as younger siblings, though he was pretty sure Kallian was old enough to be his great-grandfather.

Gadolt realised that night that he would gladly lay down his life if it meant that they would live.

They were his family now, and no one in his family got hurt.

Not on his watch.

0o0

The next morning, they decided that they would make it so no one could ever reach the Monado, since they couldn't utterly destroy it. After thinking about what could work, they decided on freezing the door shut. It would look natural and wouldn't raise suspicion, and if they did it right, only a ridiculous amount of heat could open the doors.

It took almost three hours to freeze the door. They'd used snow and Gadolt's guns to make the snow stick to the door and turn into a wall of ice.

"Here's hoping it holds," Gadolt said.

"It should," Kallian replied.

"Let's get out of here," Shulk said. "Meyneth said that there's something here scarier than Zanza, so let's leave before whatever it is shows its face."

"Right, I'd forgotten about that," Kallian added.

It was almost noon by the time they took off, heading back to the fallen arm.

0o0

Elsewhere on the mountain, a group of Homs could have sworn they saw streaks of light coming from the tower.

0o0

Elsewhere on the mountain, an ancient creature awoke.

There were mechon on her mountain.

That would not stand.


	22. 22- The Avalanche Abaasy

They had been flying for barely two minutes when the wind picked up and a blizzard rolled in. They couldn't see anything.

"We can't fly in this!" Kallian shouted over the wind. "We have to land!"

"I see a safe place to land just up ahead," Gadolt said.

"I can't see anything," Shulk said. "I'm honestly not sure if I'm next to you guys anymore."

"You are, don't worry," Gadolt replied, looking at his radar and seeing Shulk flying a few meters behind him. "Can you two see my lights?" Gadolt made more of his blood flow into his lights, so they would be much brighter.

"Just barely," Kallian and Shulk replied at the same time.

"Stay close," Gadolt warned them, "there are a lot of cliffs around here and we don't want to end up having to scrape one of you off of it."

"Thanks for that mental image," Kallian muttered.

They landed successfully on the cliff. They stayed close, refusing to get too far from each other.

"Now what?" Shulk asked.

"We wait out the storm," Gadolt simply answered.

0o0

A bright light shone and a series of images and sounds flooded Fiora's mind.

The world blurred at the edges, losing all of its colour. It was hard to tell what she was seeing, but she got a few glimpses by focusing hard enough.

A sea as blue and as sparkling as the sky.

A valley spanning for miles and miles.

A black cloud over colony 9.

"Who, or what are you?" Dunban had said that, she was certain of it.

A giant standing up. "Let the shackles be released!"

A mechon being slashed in half.

"We don't belong on Bionis, not anymore." She didn't know to who that voice belonged to, though it sounded so, so familiar.

A man with odd looking armour. "Your blade, it did cut deep enough."

A mechon's chest plate opening.

A group of mechon flooding the skies.

She couldn't tell the images apart anymore.

She couldn't focus anymore.

She felt drained of all energy.

"Of course I want to get my revenge!" That was her own voice.

The light faded and she was suddenly back in Ose tower. It took her a moment to realise that the sound she was hearing was the others asking if she was alright. Had she imagined all of that?

"I'm fine," she said. "Did any of you see that?"

"See what?" Dunban asked.

"There was a bright light," Sharla said, "but that's all there was. Did you see anything?"

"I-" Fiora muttered, looking at the Monado in her hand. "I'm not sure. I must've imagined it."

Alvis held back a smile. She was perfect for the role.

"Well, we have the Monado," Reyn said. "Now what?"

"We take back Colony 6," Fiora declared. "We may have taken down Xord, but there are still mechon there."

"Let's get going," Reyn declared. "Let's show those metal freaks who's boss!"

They headed back out of the tower, not wanting to waste precious daylight. Though there was a blizzard raging outside, Alvis told them that the closer they got to the exit, the less worse it would be. If they were to stay for much longer, it would become impossible for them to travel at all and they would have to wait out the storm, which if he was being honest, could last anywhere from a few minutes to a few days. They decided to push through the storm.

0o0

They were right there. She'd summoned a blizzard to stop them from flying out, and it had worked. They were at her mercy now. They would pay for intruding on her mountain, for driving away the people she'd once protected.

She would usually only come out at night, but this was an exception. Her blizzard locked out the sun, anyway.

There was something odd about them. Their auras resembled those that she'd once protected. They were undeniably mechon, however; mechon sent to invade her mountain.

They would die before the sun waned on her mountain.

0o0

Gadolt detected something odd on his radar. He thought it was an error, but after resetting the system, he saw the same thing.

Meyneth's unrest unnerved Shulk. He tried to reassure her, saying that they couldn't fly because of the blizzard, but that made it worse.

"That thing is causing the blizzard," she warned, "It wants you stranded. It wants you here."

If Shulk still had a heart, it would have skipped a beat. That was not good. At all.

"We have to get out of here," Shulk said.

"Are you insane?" Gadol said. "Flying in this weather is suicide!"

"Remember that angry thing that Meyneth was telling us about? It's the one causing the storm and it wants us here."

"That's not good," Kallina muttered, mirroring Shulk's thoughts "not good at all."

Before anyone could talk about making a decision, Gadolt saw something moving in the distance, the same thing that was on his radar. His firing systems locked on, telling him that thing was very much real.

"By Bionis," he muttered, "it's huge."

"What are you talking about?" Kallian asked.

"Have your systems lock on to the nearest heat source that's not us," he simply muttered.

There was a moment of silence and then swearing.

The thing attacked before any of them could respond. They managed to just barely dodge the clawed hand that crashed down where they had been just moments ago.

Kallian gasped, immediately knowing what this was. "The Avalanche Abaasy! That thing's just a legend!"

"It seems that most legends are coming true these days!" Shulk shouted, dodging another attack. He was about to slash at it when Meyneth physically stopped him.

"If you touch it," she shouted in warning, "you will die immediately! Avoid all contact!"

"How do we beat it then?" Gadolt asked.

"We don't!" Meyneth shouted back. "We can only run and hope!"

"Alright everyone," Gadolt declared, "scatter! It can't go after all three of us. Stay in contact"

Despite the terrible weather, they engaged flight mode., going off in three separate directions.

They knew that flying toward Sword Valley was also suicide, so they all decided to meet up in Makna Forest. They just had to hope that their radars were efficient enough to direct them there.

Abaasy took off, flying for Gadolt, who was the slowest when it came to flying. Now that he wasn't in the slipstream of the other two, it was especially apparent.

"Meyneth," he said, "if you shoot it from far enough, are you affected by the counter spike?"

"If you are far enough away from it, it does not," she replied.

"How far is far enough?" Kallian asked.

"One way to know!"

Gadolt pushed his engines and shot forward. Once he deemed himself to be far enough, he disengaged flight mode, his heat sensors locked on to the dragon, and shot the most powerful shots his already tired engines could muster.

He didn't bother to see if his shots had landed before engaging flight mode again. The explosion he heard and the angered roar were all the answers he needed.

0o0

The Homs froze when they heard a deafening roar over the one of the wind.

"What was that?" Sharla asked.

"Something not good," Reyn replied.

"We have to hurry," Alvis said. "We cannot afford to stop now. We have to go."

"What is it?" Fiora asked.

"Something powerful and ancient has just awakened," he replied. "We have to leave before it finds us."

"Is it because we took the Monado?" Dunban asked.

"I highly doubt it," Alvis replied. "I suggest we start running and do not stop until we are back in Makna."

"That sounds like a great idea," Reyn agreed.

0o0

In retrospect, putting all of energy into a few singular shots probably hadn't been the best of ideas for Jade. His blood was spread thin now, struggling to maintain all of his systems. Against his better judgement, he shut down all of his guns but the two in his shoulders. He shot down most of his systems except for the radar, the heat seaking system and his comm. With the blizzard, his viewing window served no purpose anyway.

Abaasy was still too close for comfort. He had to get away from it, but his flight systems were already under so much strain. He shut down another gun, diverting its power toward the flight systems.

It gave him just enough of a push to distance himself enough to fire another shot.

0o0

Rubyused a special system only he had to monitor everyone's status. He found that oddly enough, he had data on the Avalanche Abaasy, as Kallian had called it. The mechon must've fought it before.

He quickly saw that Jade's energy was spread thin and that either he would give out soon. He also saw that Pearl Face had an ability that could come in handy right now.

"Pearl," he said, "you should have an aid command of some sort."

"Yeah, I do, why?"

"Use it on Jade, he's spread thin and won't last long at this rate."

"I'm on it."

0o0

Kallian, or rather, Pearl, veered off its path and circled back to Jade. He and Pearl were one and the same. In battle, he wasn't Kallian; he was Pearl, a faced mechon trained for combat.

He reached Jade quickly and transferred his reserve energy over to him. This was the primary reason he had such a vast reserve of energy; to transfer it over to others who needed in the middle of battle.

He felt Jade power his systems back up and the Avalanche Abaasy drew close. Pearl gave Jade another boost so they could get away from it and fire. Both units fired at it this time, doing some damage but mostly just making it even more angry.

They continued their retreat, making sure Abaasy stayed on them since Ruby had no long range weapons and would be affected by the counter spike should he attack him. He gave out status updates of the systems of Jade and Pearl, telling them where to focus their power and when, as well as keeping track of what attacks Abassy had used and what would likely come next.

Ruby also poured into its knowledge of the terrain to lead them away from high cliffs and any native creatures that may want to get involved, though he could tell that before Abaasy had awoken, most had fled into caves. He could also see a group of dots quickly moving up the mountain, likely stragglers who were trying to make their way to Makna.

He saw that Abaasy was about to do something, but couldn't quite tell what.

"Scramble!" he ordered.

The order came half a second too late, as Abaasy shot fire out of its mouth and nicked Pearl Face on its side. It hit one of the flight modules and sent him spinning out of control.

Jade fired shots as a flurry of swears came through the comm.

Pearl was unable to redirect power to the downed flight module.

The ground was approaching very quickly.

0o0

Roars and explosions filled the sky as the Homs continued to run. They'd slowed to a fast walk because of the snowfall and the slope, but they kept going.

Something fell toward them, and they just barely managed to get out of the way.

It was a mechon, that same white one that had saved them back in Colony 6. What was it doing here? There was something on it that was crackling with energy, almost as if it had been broken or shot at. Had it been fighting whatever was causing those roars?

The mechon stood. It took about half a second for it to recognise that they were there. "Are you alright?" it asked.

"We are fine," Dunban replied. "What about you?"

"I've seen better days," the mechon replied, seemingly shrugging.

It was odd holding conversation with a 10 meter tall mechon in the middle of a blizzard, but there were probably odder things.

"What are you doing here?" Fiora asked.

"I truly do not have the time to explain," the mechon replied. "You should get out of here."

0o0

Ruby, with Meyneth's guidance, relearnt how to use his unit. He contacted Pearl, who had landed near a group of Homs. He was unable to fly until he could mend his damaged engine and informed him that he would keep an eye on them while he was doing that. The colour of his armour allowed him to blend in with the blizzard, so at least Abbasy would have a harder time seeing him.

Pearl put up a shield to protect the Homs from the wind and snow, while also trying to fix his engine. He'd hopefully given enough energy to Jade for him to last until they were out of the mountain. Otherwise, well, he didn't want to think about that.

Jade was having trouble trying to keep Abaasy away. Sure, Pearl had given him enough energy to keep up with Ruby, but despite its size, that thing was fast. He shot Abaasy whenever it got too close, dodging the rest of the time. They couldn't fly too fast because of the cliffs in the area, but they had to fly fast enough to keep a distance. To their surprise (and gratitude) it was working.

0o0

They weren't fighting back. They were only defending themselves. Mechon didn't behave like that. They only attacked; they did not defend.

There was something odd about these mechon.

There was something odd about their auras.

They were not entirely mechon.

The mechon part was simply their shell, she realised. They were very much the people she protected inside. The mechon had turned those she protected into mechon.

The mechon would pay.

She had been wrong to attack them, she now realised. The closest one to her was the red one. She had touched mechon before, and they had lived. As long as she didn't touch the Homs part, surely he would live.

She lunged for him, careful that her claws didn't dig into the metal. She felt him try to fight. She felt him surrender.

0o0

Ruby swore when he felt Abaasy's claws wrap around him, but death didn't come. He tried to get out of its grasp. When it shoved him to the ground, he stopped struggling.

"This can't be how it ends," he muttered.

The dragon looked at him in an almost… motherly way.

He could understand what it-she, was saying.

"I am the protector of all of the peoples of Bionis. You and your companions, while you may not look it, you are those people. I will protect you. I will aid you, should you need it."

With that, Abaasy let go of him and flew off, the blizzard dissipating with her.

He climbed back up to his feet, still stunned.

What had that been all about?

0o0

When the blizzard went away, Kallian knew that the Avalanche Abaasy had retreated. He and the Homs were almost out of the mountain. He put down his shield, not needing its protection anymore.

"Get out of here," he told them.

"Wait," the girl with blonde hair said, "who are you? Why did you save us in Colony 6? Why are you helping us again?"

"Perhaps one day we will have the time to sit down and talk," he said as he saw Gadolt's signal flare shoot through the sky, "but today is not that day. I must return."

"One thing before you leave," the girl said again. "What name can I use to call you?"

Kallian hesitated. He went by many names these days. Just months ago he'd been prince Kallian. Just moments ago he'd been Pearl. "You can call me Kallian."

He flew off then, back toward where the flare had come from.

He found no evidence that the Avalanche Abaasy had been defeated. Shulk was quiet, his breathing shaky through the comm.

Gadolt had seen the exchange between Abaasy and Shulk. He had seen the moment when Shulk had accepted the death that was coming- and then didn't. He hadn't heard what Abaasy had said, but he knew it had said something. Whatever it had been, it had shaken Shulk to the core.

He'd shot up his flare so Kallian, who had now probably fixed his damaged engine, would know where they were. He arrived just a few moments later.

Wordlessly, the three flew back toward the hidden village.

They flew back toward home.


	23. 23- Assessement

Just as a heads up: school's started and syllabus week is over, so update schedule will be irregualr for awhile.

Enjoy!

* * *

Alvis hadn't said a word since they'd left Valak mountain and arrived in Makna Forest. As if the voice hadn't been enough of a giveaway, the name sure was. That mechon, the same the telethia had seen in Colony 6, was Kallian.

Kallian, who had died seven months ago in the mechon attack.

Kallian, who was now a mechon.

Somehow.

0o0

None of them said anything as they flew back to the hidden village. Shulk, who would usually lead their flying formation, hung back, still in shock. Kallian was also in the back, though that was his usual spot. It was Gadolt who led the way, silent himself.

He was pondering what the Abaasy had done. He'd been terrified for Shulk and Meyneth, though they thankfully had gotten by unscathed, as far as they could tell. Shulk's silence had clearly been caused by whatever the Abaasy had said. Gadolt would make sure to have a talk with Shulk about what had happened.

He opened a private channel and contacted Kallian.

"Are you doing alright?" he asked Kallian.

"I'm fine," he replied. "There were Homs on the mountain, so I escorted them to the exit. I should have asked why they were there."

"It's fine Kallian," Gadolt assured him.

"What happened to Shulk?"

"Abaasy spoke to him, I think."

"What."

"It grabbed him and pinned him to the ground. I was sure he was going to die, but then it looked like she was telling him something, then it just... left. He hasn't said a word since."

"That's odd. The stories I've heard about it make it as a deadly protector of Valak Mountain," Kallian said, "I've had some men that would refuse to fly over the mountain because of it."

"Wow," Gadolt replied. "That's definitely something."

0o0

Fiora was overly aware of the added weight on her back. The Monado, despite it's appearance, was barely heavier than her knives. She found it off that such a bulky weapon had such a small weight, though she could swear it had been heavier when she'd been holding it earlier. She knew that Shulk would be fascinated by this phenomena. Her heart tugged, and she forced herself to think of something other than Shulk, though she found it hard to. This entire adventures was, in a way, because of him. Because he'd been killed.

Her brother had made sure that she knew how to wield swords, so at least she knew how to properly use the Monado. She would need a little time to get used to it, but she eventually would. It would hopefully be sooner rather than later.

0o0

When they arrived back at the Fallen Arm, they went straight to the Distant Fingertip. A soon was they got there they landed, both Gadolt and Kallian turned to Shulk.

"What happened back there?" Gadolt asked him.

"The Avalance Abaasy talked to me," Shulk replied, his eyes still a little clouded by shock. "He said she would protect us, should we need to be. She said she was the protectors of the peoples of Bionis and that should we need her, she would help us."

There was stunned silence.

"Well," Kallian declared, "congratulations on forging an alliance with what's arguably the most dangerous creature on Bionis."

"I didn't really do anything though," Shulk shrugged. "It lunged at me and next thing I knew it -she- was talking to me."

"Whatever happened," Gadolt sighed, "let's just head back to the village. The Monado is safe in that tower. That's all you wanted to know Meyneth, isn't it?"

"Indeed," she replied, the quick change between she and Shulk still an odd thing to watch.

Kallian let out a flurry of swears.

Both Shulk and Gadolt looked at him with eyes as big as dinner plates. "What's wrong?" Shulk asked, though there was a hint of Meyneth in his voice.

Kallian pinched the bridge of his nose. "One of the Homs I escorted out, their leader, I think, has the Monado on her back."

Both Shulk and Gadolt stared at him blankly. Gadolt was the first to break the silence.

"How did you not notice?"

Shulk winced, pretty sure that even those back in the village could hear him.

"There was a blizzard!" Kallian yelled back. "I wasn't even sure it was the Monado until after the fact!"

"We have to go back then," Gadolt said, "We have to go back… explain the situation so they can give it back."

"It is too late," Meyneth interrupted what would have become a shouting match. "Zanza has already merged with the body and soul of who took the Monado. The only way to destroy that bond is through death."

"Not to mention," Shulk added, "the Monado is supposedly an anti-mechon weapon, one more powerful than we could ever hope to build. There's no way those Homs would simply hand it over without a fight, especially with what we are. Now that we're mechon, we have to keep in mind that those weapons can hurt us. We should avoid confrontation with those who carry anti-mechon weapons, even though they don't work on faces, but especially the one with the Monado. We don't know if it can affect faces and frankly, I don't want to find out."

Gadolt and Kallian shared a look. Shulk was right.

The three let out a communal sigh, then headed back to the village. They decided to walk, though they did fly down to the ground, not wanting to climb down for two hours.

0o0

Kallian. That was the name that Juju had heard when he'd been captured by Xord.

Sharla made a note that if they were to meet again, which she had a feeling they would, she would pass on Xord's last words to him.

It felt odd to be fulfilling the last request of a dying mechon, but she figured it was the least she could do.

" _What on Bionis am I thinking?"_

She couldn't believe that thought had crossed her mind.

Xord was the mechon who had destroyed Colony 6 and killed Gadolt. He didn't deserve any sort of pity.

Right?

She chided herself for saying that Gadolt was dead. There was simply no way that he was. He was alive somewhere out there.

He had to be.

0o0

Though Miqol hadn't ordered or suggested this outing, he still wanted to hear about it. He was also dumbfounded by Abaasy's words, though he mostly shrugged it off; it was reassuring to have such a powerful ally should it come to battle.

"Zanza being awakened and the Monado being in possession of Homs, however," he said, crossing his arms, "is terrible news. Who knows what could happen? If the Bionis awakens, Lady Meyneth, being here, will not be able to do anything. Egil will also probably attack the Bionis more often now, so you three will have your hands full."

The three sighed, knowing their failure to keep the Monado out of Homs hands might cause many, many deaths in the future.

"There is actually something I would like to show them," Meyneth said, "I believe they are ready to see what happened when Agniratha fell."

Miqol quietly crossed his arms, "Are you certain, Lady Meyneth?"

"I am. It is something they have to learn. I would rather they learn it now then when it had become too late for them to do so."

Miqol nodded, while Kallian and Gadolt shared confused looks. They would have shared one with Shulk as well, but he was currently busy being Meyneth.

"What do we have to learn?" Kallian asked.

"Not here," she said, "not now. We must go to Agniratha for me to explain properly. Which way is the fastest?"

"You would have to make your way up the Mechonis," Miqol replied, "Entering Agniratha directly would be suicide; Egil has made it his base."

"The long way it is, then" Shulk said. "Meyneth, you'll lead the way."

"I shall get you there, though the battling will be up to you three."

"Don't' worry," Kallian said, "Shulk won't get a scratch."

0o0

Dunban eyed the sword on his sister's back. Though he knew it would likely be their salvation, there was something about it that unnerved him. Somehow, the energy coming from it was sinister. He hoped it was just his imagination.

He couldn't help but wonder how it what that Silver mechon was. It was now the second time he had saved them, and while the first time may not have been intentional, this one certainly was. He'd fought Metal Face. Perhaps there were tensions even among the mechon? He might be able to use that to his advantage one day. Maybe there even was a rebellious faction of the mechon, or at least, there was unrest among faced mechon. He'd have to asked Anson about it when he got back, but there was no way to confirm it unless Kallian straight up told them, which he doubted he would.

Maybe one day, he mused, he wouldn't be utterly disgusted at the idea if an alliance with the mechon.

They had killed his parents.

They had killed his friends.

They had killed Shulk.

They would not be forgiven.

They could not be forgiven.

* * *

For everyone commenting- thank you so much! I absolutely love reading them, though lately I've been finding it dificult to write the words to reply, which is why I haven't done it recent chapters. Thank you for your continued support!

Hope you enjoyed and until next time!


	24. 24- Childhood memories

I was debating posting this chapter as a different story, but decided to keep it in here.

* * *

Three children ran up and down the stairs of the park, chasing each other and playing the game of homs and mechon. They were supervised by a man who looked very much like one of the children.

As is expected when it comes to children and stairs, one of them fell. Her startled cry made her friend's father come running.

She sat at the bottom of the stairs, teary eyed and holding back tears while her two friends fussed. The father kneeled next to her, trained eyes quickly looking for injuries. Aside from a pretty bad scrape on her leg and arm, she was alright. The bottom of her hands were bleeding. This wasn't what he could fix up with the first aid kit he'd learnt to carry with him when he watched over the children.

His son was crying more than she was, asking if she was going to die because she was bleeding.

"She's going to be just fine Shulk," he answered, ruffling the boy's hair. "I'm going to make you all better alright Fiora?"

The little girl nodded and wiped away little tears, spreading blood on her face as she did so. He scooped her into his arms, telling his son to hold on to his shirt and his friend's hand so they don't get separated. He walked them through the residential district, then to his home. He left Fiora on the kitchen table, then briefly left to get the first aid kit. He disinfected everything, telling her it was ok to cry because it was going to hurt. She cried and nearly broke Shulk and Reyn's hands, who had been holding them for support. He gave her colorful bandages when she was done.

When he was done, the trio still wanted to play, but Anson had another idea. He kneeled to their level. "Do you three want to help with something important?"

The three of them excitedly nodded.

"You have to promise me that you won't tell anyone alright?" He said.

The nodded again.

"You're going to help me prepare my bbq, what do you say?"

Their eyes lit up. "We can help you cook?" Fiora exclaimed.

"Yes you can."

He taught the three of them one of his recipes. While Reyn didn't look too interested, he still listened as much as he could. Whenever the prep was over, he let the children play in the yard while Anson cooked the food.

He watched the children play, reminded of his own childhood friends. His own colony had been destroyed when he'd been just a little older than them. He wouldn't let that happen to them. He wouldn't let them be orphaned. He wouldn't let them go through what he had.

The siren rung in the middle of the night.

Siren 2.

The one no one wanted to hear in their lives. Anson knew from experience that it was the same in every colony. Elinor shot up from the bed and ran to Shulk's room, Anson running to grab a weapon. Shulk was crying, confused from being woken up so early and by the big noise.

The shelter was thankfully close to their home, something they'd made sure of before they'd bought it. Elinor rushed to it, while Anson helped others get to the shelter. An old injury to the knee stopped him from joining the fight, but he would help as many as he could.

After it got too dangerous for him, he went to the shelter and bolted the doors behind him. His heart sank when he couldn't see little Fiora anywhere. Reyn ran up to him, asking if he'd seen his parents. He picked him up, reassuring the boy by telling him his parents were probably in another shelter.

"No!" Reyn whined, "they were right behind me! Mama told me to run! When I looked back she was gone! I just ran to the shelter like they told us to at school!"

Anson rubbed Reyn's back, having lived through enough mechon attacks to know what had likely happened to them. The last thing he needed was a panic in the shelter. The panic could come after the attack.

Neither Anson nor Elinor saw Dunban nor Fiora. Even the boys noted their absence, anxiously asking where their friend was. "They're alright," the parents assured them, "they're safe."

The siren had started in the middle of the night. Torrad had quickly woken up his children. "Run for the shelter," he told Dunban. "Stay with your brother," he told Fiora, kissing her forehead.

He took the swords off of the wall and ran out of the house, seeing Dunban and Fiora headed for the shelter. He fought for them. The locket at his neck weighed heavy, a reminder of his failure to protect Maura, his wife. Even if it cost him his life, he would protect his children.

Fiora and Dunban were halfway to the shelter when Fiora's hand slipped out of his and she started running back toward the house. He ran after her, scooping her up, but she cried, saying she'd forgotten something and had to have it. Knowing there was no getting Fiora out of a mood like this, he followed her. She ran back into the house, taking a picture frame. A picture of all four of them, taken only a few days before their mother passed away. Fiora practically slept with that picture, which was understandable why she'd go back for it.

There were mechon everywhere, and the shelter was likely closed by now. Dunban made a split second decision and told Fiora to hop onto his back and to not look anywhere than up ahead. She climbed up on his back and hung on.

Dunban ran. He ran past mechon and then up the hill to tephra cave. He had no idea where he was going, but anywhere was safer than than the colony. He ran through the caves as well, not wanting to risk mechon following him. All of the animals in the caves were gone, giving him a mercifully safe run through it.

He kept running once on Bionis leg. Aside from his laboured breathing, all he could hear were Fiora's whimpers. His back and legs were killing him, but he couldn't stop until they were safe. Unlike the caves, there were many dangerous monsters around. He found a safe spot by an oasis and they hunkered down for the night. He didn't sleep. He could still hear the screams of the people in Colony 9.

The next morning, they set back out to Colony 9. They were greeted in the caves by a very anxious and freaked out Anson. He hugged them tightly, apologising profusely for not being able to find them when the mechon hit. He also promised to be there for them if they ever needed anything. Though Dunban was confused by that at first, it hit him. His father was dead. Fiora hadn't realised it yet, and that was probably for the best.

Anson gave them their father's locket.

Fiora started crying.

Years after the attack, Dunban was ever thankful for Anson and Elinor's support. They helped with money, making sure the kids were never in need of anything. His sister stayed friends with Shulk and Reyn, who would visit almost everyday. He often caught himself thinking that Shulk would be a great person for Fiora to spend her days with. They were perfect for eachother, in his opinion.

As the three got older, they only got closer where others might have drifted apart. They had a silent agreement that if they were ever feeling down, they would meet up in Outlook park.

There were only two of them now, sitting on the bench of the park where so long ago, Anson had sat, watching them play.

Fiora awoke from an ever familiar nightmare. For the past six months, she'd awoken to it almost every night. She saw Shulk's blood on the ground, the metal claws protruding out of him. His sword dropping to the ground. His body going limp. The moment where life had left his body was forever burned into her mind.

There was no way she wouldn't be able to sleep now, so she pulled on a sweater a went for a walk. Her feet guided her to the residential district, to Shulk's house. She stopped herself from stepping on the front porch. He wasn't there anymore. He would never be there again. She continued walking aimlessly, having no particular destination in mind. She wasn't surprised when she found herself climbing the steps to outlook park.

She saw someone else sitting at her usual bench, so she was ready to take the other one, but she recognised who it was. She settled next to him. "Couldn't sleep either?"

"Keep havin' nightmares," Reyn replied. "You too?"

Fiora hummed in agreement, tightening the jacket around her. It was particularly chilly tonight.

"How are you holding up?" she asked.

"I miss him so much," Reyn closed his eyes. Fiora pretended she didn't see his eyes water.

"I miss him too," she leaned against him.

They didn't want to pretend that they weren't still mourning.

They didn't want to pretend that it didn't hurt anymore.

It was the only thing they were sure of these days.

Shulk woke up with a start. It was that dream again. It was different every time, but it was still always the same. The only thing that changed was who was getting killed. Sometimes it was Fiora, other times it was Reyn. On rarer occasions it was Dunban or his parents. He'd even had a few times where it had been Kallian and Gadolt.

He dreaded the night where his dreams would show him killing somebody.

He angrily wiped away his tears, but one of the joints in his hand scraped against his skin harshly and his tears mixed with blood. Looking at his hand, he could barely see the difference between his blood and his armour. Armour. Not skin.

He sighed and made his way to the bathroom to clean the scratch.

His nightmares were one of the reasons why he'd insisted on living alone. He didn't want Gadolt and Kallian to worry about him. After all, he was supposed to be their leader.

The wave of warmth and comfort from Meyneth did very little to improve his mood, but he appreciated the thought.

He needed to get out of the house.

The wind was cold. He felt it mostly on his face, but also on his armour, though it was less pronounced there, like it would be on clothes. His armour. A set of clothes he could never take off.

On nights where he couldn't sleep, he would go to outlook park. He took three steps outside of his house and reminded himself that there was no such thing as outlook park here.

Where could he go?

The distant fingertip was the first thing to pop into his mind. It was quite far on foot though, and he didn't feel like flying. He decided to just walk. The cold breeze calmed him. By the time he'd walked the perimeter of the village, the sun was starting to shine.

He headed back to the house, figuring he might as well catch a few more hours of sleep before they left for Agniratha.

* * *

I promise there's going to be plot next chapter. I promise.

Also happy valentines day!

See you next time!

(How Fiora and Reyn got back to colony 9 will be explained next chapter, just don't question it in this one.)

(I'm a proffessional.)


	25. 25- Return to Colony 9

Soryy for the delay! The winter semester has been kicking my ass and while I was gonna write during spring break, breath of the wild happened, so no writing got done that week.

Enjoy!

* * *

As they made their way back through Makna forest, Sharla steeled herself. It was now official in her mind that Ruby and Shulk were one and the same. She repeated the words she planned to use over and over in her head. Before she knew it, they were back in Eryth Sea, where they immediately took a transport to the Bionis leg.

Fiora had asked if they could see Melia before leaving, but Alvis only shook his head, saying she was busy. Fiora then told him to thank her once again. As they boarded, he promised that he would.

There was a table in that transport that they all sat around. Reyn was already sprawled out as much as he could, planning on sleeping.

Sharla took a deep breath. "There's something I need to tell you." She could feel her heart beating between her ears.

"Go right ahead," Dunban said.

"I've suspected this for awhile, but now that we know that there's no Homs colony in Makna, I can say this without hesitation. Ruby comes from Colony 9."

The silence around the table encouraged her to keep talking.

"Let me remind you that Ruby had short blonde hair, blue eyes^, was around 18 years old

and was roughly 5'7." She saw realisation hit Fiora and Dunban, while it was starting to dawn on Reyn. "There is no one fitting that exact description in Colony 6, but there is someone in Colony 9 who does."

"Shulk is dead. I saw him die." Fiora was shaking, from anger or anxiety, Sharla couldn't tell.

"I know he is," Sharla replied, "and that's the only reason I hesitate. Shulk and Ruby look exactly the same. They could be twins."

A heavy, uncomfortable silence fell.

A voice echoed in Fiora's mind, sounding familiar. "We don't belong on Bionis, not anymore," It sounded like whoever was saying was either angry or about to cry. The worst part was that she could see the person saying it, but not their face, if that made sense. For half a second, the unclear face turned into Shulk's and it felt right. Her eyes watered at the sight of him being so distressed.

It was Dunban's worry that her brought her out of her head. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine," she replied. "I was just thinking. When I picked up the Monado, I saw flashes of things and I heard someone. It sounded a lot like Shulk. Looked like him too."

"Are ya sure it wasn't just a hallucination?" Reyn asked.

"It's something he's never said before in a tone I've only ever heard once," she continued. "There were other things I saw too that make me doubt I imagined it. It all felt too real, but it was a hazy kind of reality, like it hasn't happened yet."

"You think you saw the future?" Sharla concluded.

"I think I did, yes," Fiora was determined that she was right. "I'm sure I did."

"What did he say?" Dunban asked .

"We don't belong on Bionis, not anymore."

0o0

The transport dropped them off on Gaur plain, the pilot saying he didn't want to risk getting any closer. They thanked him and made their way back to Colony 9, despite the sun's quick waning. They arrived at Dunban's and Fiora's house around midnight, where they all stayed the night. They all stewed over what Sharla had said.

Shulk's body had been hauled off by Metal face. There had been a search for the body, but it hadn't been found. It was assumed that it had been tossed into the Great Sea or on Sword Valley. Could he have somehow survived the fall? Could he have somehow made his way back to the Bionis Leg? If so, why hadn't he come back to Colony 9? How had he survived being stabbed in the chest in the first place?

It didn't matter. He'd survived somehow, and made his way to the Bionis leg to save the refugees before disappearing into the wilderness.

He must've had a reason for it.

If he was still alive out there, why hadn't he come back?

Why hadn't he shown himself?

As Fiora awoke the next morning, the sun was starting to appear. She found herself wanting to take a walk. She quietly got out of bed, making sure not to wake Sharla, who was sleeping next to her in the bed. She went downstairs and slathered some butter and dance apple jelly on a toast, slipped on some shoes and walked outside.

The familiarity of the cool morning breeze hitting her face cleared her mind. She'd spent the night thinking about it, and she'd decided to consider Shulk being alive as being a possibility. Her feet led her to the residential district, then to Anson and Elinor's house. She didn't know if they were awake at this hour, but she knocked anyway.

The door was opened by Elinor. She looked like she'd just gotten out of bed, but still gave her a big smile. "Oh, Fiora! Did you just get back?"

"We got back around midnight. I just woke up."

"We were just about to make some breakfast, would you like to join us?"

Fiora thought of the toast she'd just had, which was a meager breakfast, even for her. "Gladly."

Anson was nearly done making the food, which consisted of hashed cool potatoes, dance apple slices, flamii eggs and bacon. He always made extra food, so her arrival didn't cause trouble.

Juju was the first one served. He scarfed down the food, asking Fiora where his sister was as he did so. When she told him that Sharla was back at her house, he quickly finished his food, excused himself, and left. All three present knew that he was likely sprinting back there.

Anson finished giving out the food and sat down.

"So how did it go?" he asked.

0o0

"Shulk might still be alive?" Elinor looked at her in shock.

"He might be yes, but I'm not betting on it," Fiora replied.

"I would rather not have to acknowledge the possibility until we know for sure," Anson mused.

"Now," Elinor declared, changing the subject, "you'll let me study the Monado, right?"

"Of course, it's at home right now. When you make your way to the lab you can stop by and get it."

"I'd actually like to see it in action, so could you bring it to me when you're free?"

"It won't be a problem! When are you going to the lab?"

"I was going to go in about two hours, but I'm too excited now and I'll probably go right after breakfast."

"I'll join you there," Fiora nodded.

0o0

For the rest of the morning and a good part of the afternoon, Elinor and Fiora worked on the Monado. The main discovery was that the glass in the middle was multi-layered and that it seemed to have the ability to make any weapon, even those that weren't anti-mechon, capable of damaging mechon. They decided to name that ability "enchant". Since the glass was multi-layered, they could only assume that the Monado had other hidden powers that they had no idea how to unlock. They would hopefully figure it out one day.

"Do you think this would affect faced mechon?" Fiora asked.

"I see no reason why it couldn't," Elinor replied. "We'll know for sure whenever you fight one."

"We hopefully won't have to."

As Fiora was about to leave the lab, a military big-wig came in. Fiora couldn't remember his name for the life of her, but she knew he was important.

"I see the Monado has successfully been retrieved." Both women nodded before he continued. "I would like for you to put it to the test. There have been reports of mechon from colony 6 making their way across the leg and toward our colony. Go eliminate them with the Monado. You may bring whoever you want with you."

"When does it need to be done?" Fiora asked.

"You have until tomorrow morning to eliminate them. The mechon cannot be allowed to reach Tephra Cave."

Fiora nodded. The man left without another word.

"Always to the point, that Eran," Elinor sighed.

"That's for sure," Fiora agreed, deflating. "We should get going," she declared, "I'll go tell the others."

"Do try to find out if you can get more abilities from the Monado," Elinor said as Fiora walked out.

"I will!" she replied from the hallway.

0o0

With a heavy sigh, Dunban, Reyn and Sharla agreed to go with Fiora. It would be faster if they had a smaller party, though they didn't all have the same amount of experience fighting mechon. They would still make it just fine. They had the Monado, after all.

The four of them set off that very afternoon, promising to be back by breakfast the next day.

The mechon were quite close to the colony, the group finding them in Gaur plain.

"We can't let them get passed us," Fiora declared as she activated he Monado. "We can't let them get to Colony 9!"

The mechon barely put up a fight. The group wasn't sure if it was because of the Monado or because the mechon were leaderless, but the fight seemed almost too easy. It left them with a feeling of unease, both during and after the fight.

"We should head back," Dunban said. "Our job here is done."

They all headed back, the uneasiness only growing bigger as they got closer to the colony. As they were about to head into Tephra cave, Sharla spotted something in the distance. She ran to the edge of the knee to see it better, the others following.

There was a black swarm quickly flying toward the colony. At the speed they were going, they would reach it within minutes.

Fiora had seen that black swarm before. She should've known. She should've warned someone.

Dunban strained his ears, but couldn't hear any sort of siren, meaning the swarm hadn't been noticed yet. "We have to hurry."

"They're back." Sharla muttered.

"Mechon," the Monado activated on its own in Fiora's hand.

"We have to get back and help!" Reyn shouted, already halfway to the entrance to the cave. "Let's go!"


	26. 26- You will know my name

Sorry for the delay! School continues to kick my ass. Updates should regulate around may. To optimise this reading experience, I would reccomend listening to the song that is the namesake of this chapter. It's what I listened to on repeat while writing this.

Enjoy!

* * *

Shulk, Kallian and Gadolt were in Junks, getting details from Miqol. They'd been asked to recover some memories, which wouldn't be a problem. They were about to leave when a scout came running in.

"A large squadron of mechon, including a faced once, has left for Colony 9."

"There isn't much we can do," Miqol sighed.

"Yes there is!" Shulk shouted, surprising everyone including himself. "Agniratha can wait; we're going."

"Are you sure?" Before those words finished leaving Miqol's mouth, Shulk was already halfway out the door.

"My family and friends are in Colony 9. Even if I don't make it time, I'm not going to sit back and wait until the report comes in."

"I'll make sure he comes back alive," Kallian said as he followed Shulk out.

"And I'll make sure Kallian gets back alive," Gadolt sighed, following after both of them.

Shulk ran and then flew as fast as he was physically able.

The only moment he hesitated was right before boarding Ruby.

"What's wrong?" Kallian asked as he joined him.

"I do want to protect my colony, but…"

"You're worried about your family," Gadolt concluded. Shulk nodded. "You don't have to see them if you feel you're not ready."

"You're right. No time to be down, we've got a colony to save."

They set off for colony 9, going at top speed.

0o0

By the time the four arrived at the cylinder hangar, Colony 9 was on fire. There were mechon everywhere.

Wordlessly, they jumped in the water to get there faster. The defence force was struggling to keep the mechon back, but at least they'd had enough of a warning to get most people to the shelters.

With the Monado at their side and anti-mechon weapons, the mechon didn't stand a chance. The only problem was the sheer number of them. They killed one, three more popped up, in Reyn's words.

The other main problem was the faced mechon. It was flying above the colony, shooting at any large group of Homs. The current plan was to try and get it to land so the Monado could do damage to it. Nearly two hours in though, it hadn't landed and the defence force was starting to run out of ideas.

The report was grim when three more faced mechon were detected, approaching at top speed. There were words of calling for code green. No one would accept that. This was not the end of Colony 9. This was not the end of the Homs.

The three mechon came into view. Morale fell all at once. Fiora pointed at the one flying in the middle of the formation. It was Pearl.

The new arrival's allegiance was quickly set in stone as the three shot down the other faced mechon that had been causing trouble. Fiora and the others jumped on the opportunity to take it down.

It's armour was green, so the defence force had been referring to it as "Green Face". It had a gun mounted on its shoulder and a wicked looking sword in its hand.

"Anti-mechon weapons, eh?" it taunted. "Those can't dent me!"

"Maybe not," Reyn taunted right back, "but the Monado can!"

"We'll see about that kiddoes."

The four of them got in formation, ready to use roughly the same strategy as when they'd fought Xord. Seeing her chance, Fiora moved, aiming for one of its legs to throw it off balance.

The Monado bounced off its armour. She tried again. Same result.

Emerald Face hit her with the back of its hand, sending her flying. It laughed. "That sword of yours is useless, girl."

 _How?_ She wondered as she pulled herself up. _Why isn't the Monado effective against this guy? Even if it works when it's toppled, the Monado is just a fancier anti-mechon weapon than the ones we already have! Was all we did to get it for nothing?_

"Hers might not be," an eerily familiar voice said, "but mine are!"

A red faced mechon dropped out of the sky, cutting down Green's gun in one swipe.

Green stepped back as the gun fell to the ground and the red one placed itself between it and the Homs.

"Well met, traitorous Ruby Face," Green snarled.

"Looks like I'm at a bit of a disadvantage here," Ruby replied, calmly shaking its head, "you know my name, I don't know yours."

"I am Emerald Face. I would have gracefully brought you back if you hadn't done what you just did."

"As you said, I'm a traitor with no plans of going back."

"I guess that settles it," Emerald drew its sword.

"It sure does," Ruby drew its own.

Emerald flew into the air, surprising even Ruby, or, at least, Ruby deigned to look surprised. "I'm not dumb enough to fight you!" It was heading for Jade, considering she was a long-range unit. She was in theory, anyway. Jade had been training to not be helpless at close range.

Jade shot Emerald point blank, sending it crashing to the ground. While it had not been dumb enough to fight Ruby, it also hadn't been smart enough to consider that long-range units weren't strictly that.

While Emerald struggled to get back upright, Fiora and the others once again took their chance. With it toppled, they could do damage. Dunban called for a chain attack. He opened with blossom dance. Sharla followed with headshot. Reyn came in with sword drive. Fiora was planning on finishing with a daze art, but the Monado began to glow. Shr harnessed its energy, the blade extended and she brought it down hard.

"Monado buster!"

0o0

Another wave of mechon landed on the bridge leading to the residential district, blocking it off from reinforcements. Luckily, Fiora and the others, along with the three faced mechon were in that district.

Ruby headed for those on the bridge, a red aura surrounding it.

"Stay away from Ruby," Pearl (Kallian?) warned. "When she gets like that it can get dangerous."

"What do you mean?" Dunban asked. It seemed odd to ask a question to a mechon, but this one in particular had proven that he was trustworthy.

"She's going to take down those mechon," was the only explanation he gave.

The aura burst out and practically all of the mechon on the bridge deactivated or were toppled. The defence force moved in to take down the stragglers.

Ruby contacted Jade and Pearl.

"What's your status?"

"I've got a few scratches, nothing major," Pearl replied.

"Same here," Jade chimed in.

"We'll take down the remaining mechon in the area then retreat." It was Meyneth's voice, not Shulk's.

"I would actually like to find out who that Emerald Face is. I've never seen him before but he sounds familiar," Jade declared.

"If you would like me to, I have enough energy left to to free him of Egil's influence should you wish to," Meyneth replied.

"Honestly it would probably be best if you did that with every face we run into," Pearl added. "The less Egil has, the better."

"That would cause me to power down permanently, I am afraid. It takes an enormous amount of power to do what I did for you."

"Let's not do that then."

Jade landed next to Emerald , Ruby landing opposite from him and Kallian hovered overhead so it couldn't escape. A group of Homs had surrounded them, but this was something between the four of them.

This was something between mechon.

"Do you know what your name is?" Gadolt asked.

"Emerald is the only name I need."

"Then show me your face at least," Gadolt replied, his voice commanding.

The only answer he got was the chest cavity opening and revealing an unfortunately familiar Homs inside.

Sharla's hand flew to her mouth. Not only did that mechon with dual guns, Jade, sound very much like Gadolt, but Emerald… Emerald was Otharon. Half of his face was gone and replaced with mechon-like skin, but it was Otharon.

"There's a Homs inside a mechon," Reyn muttered.

He caught Sharla when she fell to her knees.

A dead silence fell over the colony. Nearly every soldier in the colony dropped their weapon. There was no way they were seeing right. There was no way that there was a Homs commanding that mechon. But there was.

"I'm sorry you ended like I did old man," Gadolt said, voice breaking. "I truly am."

The chest cavity closed. "I do not care if I knew you before. All that matters is now."

If Gadolt still had one, his stomach would have dropped to his ankles. "Meyneth."

"I'm sorry," that was Shulk. "There's something wrong and I'm losing power quickly. That Final Cross earlier drained more than it should've. I'm actually not sure if I'm going to be able to make it back to the village before I shut down."

Kallian landed next to Shulk. "Send this message to Egil: the three of us are never, ever, going back to him. If he tries again he can stick his foot where I think."

Otharon nodded, took a step back, and flew out.

Silence once again ruled.

It was Dunban who broke it. "Who, or what are you?"

"We've met before," Kallian started, doing the best bow he could manage with Pearl, "but let me formally introduce myself. I am Pearl Face, though you may call me Kallian."

"Jade," Gadolt replied.

"Ruby," Shulk answered. If he still had a heart, it would be going a thousand miles per hour. This wasn't how he'd thought it would happen. But it was happening. He felt like he might pass out. He wasn't sure if it was because of the energy drain or because he was mortified. It was probably an unhealthy mix of both.

This was happening right now whether he wanted it or not.

He took a deep breath.

"If you'll give me the chance, Dunban, I'll explain everything."

* * *

Special thanks to consort for the idea with Otharon and Emerald!


	27. 27- Welcome Home

Dunban was speechless. That red mechon- Ruby, had just addressed him by his name despite him having never told his name.

Fiora grabbed his arm in a death grip. "Shulk. That's Shulk." She was pale and shaking.

"You may explain," Dunban said.

"To counter anti-mechon weapons, Egil created the Faced Mechon. Our blood runs through the armour, which counters the limitation of those weapons. We are the result of that."

"What do you mean?" Dunban knew, but he wanted to be absolutely sure this wasn't some sort of messed up fever dream.

A sharp intake of breath was all that was heard.

"Kallian, Gadolt" Shulk asked over the private comm. "Let's do this at the same time, alright?"

"On three?" Gadolt asked.

"On three," Shulk agreed.

On three, they took deep breaths.

On two, they opened the chest cavity.

On one, they left their cockpits.

They jumped down to the ground and deactivated their headsets, revealing their faces.

"We are the result of what happens when you mix mechon machinery with a Homs. All three of us and hundreds, maybe thousands of other Homs," Shulk declared.

0o0

No one present knew what to say. Everyone was in shock.

It was Eran that stepped forward. "The three of you have saved Colony 9 from a disaster. Whether you have lived here or not, you are welcome to stay here."

Kallian nodded and bowed slightly. "Thank you, but we can't stay long."

Sharla stood up, freeing herself from Reyn. "Gadolt… Gadolt, that's you, isn't it? It's really you."

"The one and only!" he managed to say, spreading his arms wide giving her his best smile. He knew there was no way he looked the same way that she remembered, but at least she'd recognised him.

She started walking toward him, then broke into a run. She ran into his arms, crying. He hugged her back, tightly. "I'm sorry I was gone."

"All that matters is that you're back."

They were both a crying mess.

It was Shulk's turn next. Fiora and Reyn were shaken from their stupor and ran for Shulk at the same time. They nearly knocked him over,

"Welcome home," the two said at once.

Shulk felt like he might collapse. They were actually welcoming him home. He'd gone over this scenario thousands of times in his head and never once had it been this positive. He hung on to them both, reminding himself that this was really happening. This was happening and it was real.

Fiora held him at arm's length, still crying but also wearing a bright smile. "Don't you ever do that again you hear me!" she nearly screamed. "I-We all thought you were dead!"

"I'm sorry."

"Seriously man," Reyn sighed, "what took you so long?"

Shulk's eyes welled up with tears again. He gave Reyn the biggest and tightest hug you could muster. "You had no idea how scared I was to come back."

Reyn pat his back and so did Fiora.

"Shulk," she said, "we never would have turned our backs to you. Ever."

"Yeah," Reyn agreed. "Homs or Mechon, we don't care. You're still you. You're still Shulk."

Shulk could just hug back tighter. "Thank you."

Kallian watched the reunions with a warm smile. He most definitely was filming the whole thing and was perhaps streaming back to the village for Linada and Miqol to watch. He could hear their "ooo's" and "aww's" in his ear and he couldn't help but agree. He was glad to see them accepted for what they'd become.

It was heartwarming, really.

Before he knew it, he was approached by a man- Dunban.

"Kallian, right?" Dunban said, extending his hand.

"Indeed. Dunban?"

He nodded. "How long have you known those two?"

"About eight months for Shulk, roughly two for Gadolt," he replied as honestly as he could. It was hard to keep track of time, even in the village.

Dunban nodded, then smiled. "Thank you for saving us back then. We wouldn't be here if not for you."

"I just couldn't let Mu- Metal Face kill more people. I've seen him do enough."

"Did you know he was the one that killed Shulk?" There was pain and anger and Dunban's eyes.

Kallian nodded. "That's one thing he and I have in common."

Pain and, oddly enough, understanding, flashed in Dunban's eyes. "I'm sorry to hear that."

Kallian shrugged. "We don't really get sad anymore when we think about our "death". For most of us, it's a blurry mess of screaming and pain that we'd rather forget. I'm just glad that by my death I saved some people that were very dear to me."

"You seem to have more in common with Shulk than you thought," Dunban smiled.

Kallian smiled back, before remembering something important. "Are Shulk's parents..?"

"They're in the shelter." Dunban looked at the defence force, who had now started the cleanup and he saw some headed for the inner residential district. "They'll likely be back at their house within the hour."

Kallian grinned. "How do you think they would feel to see their son waiting for them there?"

"I like the way you think."

0o0

Shulk finally broke the hug, wiping his tears away with his palm instead of his fingers to avoid cutting himself again.

"How're mom and dad?" he asked.

"They're doing alright. They'll be so excited to see you!" Reyn said, picking Shulk up into a back crushing hug. "Let's get going that way."

"Reyn I can walk you know," Shulk laughed.

Reyn laughed as well, putting him down.

Shulk looked over to Gadolt, who was now quietly speaking with Sharla, neither letting go of the other.

Kallian, on the other hand, was talking with Dunban. He walked over to him, trying to not seem nervous.

He put his hand on his shoulder. "I'm going to power down in less than a minute," he whispered in Kallian's ear.

"I've got you," Kallian replied. He pulled Shulk closer, something that Dunban and Fiora noticed.

"So, don't worry, this happens all the time and I'll be back up and running tomorrow morning," Shulk said.

If there was one thing Shulk had mastered, it was the timing of when exactly his power levels reached the critical level.

Kallian picked him up with practiced ease. "Happens all the time, don't worry," he reassured as well. "Do you have a place where he could stay for the night?"

"My couches are always open to visitors," Dunban replied.

"What just happened?" Fiora asked.

"Power levels dropped too quickly after his Final Cross, happens from time to time. We're still trying to figure out why that happens," Kallian replied. "Like he said; he'll be alright in the morning."

"My house is this way," Dunban lead the way.

"Hey Gadolt, stop making out with your fiancée and come over here!"

The man in question laughed. "Kallian's like that all the time, don't worry," he told Sharla, keeping in arm around her.

"You haven't met Reyn," Sharla laughed.

Everyone gathered in Dunban's house. Shulk was laid out on one of the couches while everyone else was gathered on the other couch and had pulled some chairs from the kitchen table.

It was around three in the morning when everyone settled down. Reyn had gone home, while Dunban, Fiora and Sharla were sleeping upstairs. Kallian and Gadolt were settling down on the couch. It was big enough for the both of them if they squeezed together enough.

Gadolt gave up on the couch after 5 minutes and took the armchair instead. With his arms and legs crossed with his head tilted back, he looked very much like an old man.

Kallian pushed the other couch closer to the one Shulk was passed out on.

"How are his power levels looking?" Gadolt asked.

Kallian opened a compartment in his arm, then the matching one in Shulk's. He connected a wire into Shulk's arm and immediately a screen of vitals appeared. "He's back up at 50%," Kallian replied. "If I charge him up he'll be up before sunrise."

Gadolt nodded in agreement. "Make sure he doesn't siphon the power out of you again."

"That was once," Kallian huffed. "Linada made sure that can't happen again."

"Goodnight," Gadolt yawned.

"Goodnight," Kallian yawned back.

0o0

Shulk opened his eyes. It took a second for everything to come into focus.

He knew that ceiling. He knew this couch. He'd played "the floor is lava" on this couch many, many times as a child. He'd also crashed on this couch a few times.

He sat up, disconnecting himself from Kallian after making sure his power levels were within safety range. They were back up to optimal levels. He really needed to figure out why Final Cross drained him so much. At this rate, a single use would kill him. He shook off the thought and looked around.

Dunban's house really hadn't changed. It was reassuring, in a way. Everything had changed in his own life, but it seemed like nothing had changed here. Colony 9 had moved on without him.

He made his way to the window, from where light was just starting to filter in. He stepped outside and slumped against the wall. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. He took a deep, shaky breath.

He'd called this place home for nearly 19 years. Could a place even be called home if you didn't live there anymore?

He wasn't sure what to do. He was scared, terrified, even.

His parents should be awake at this hour.

A big part of him was telling him that his parents would be even more welcoming than the others. Another, much smaller but much louder part of him told him that his parents would never accept what he'd become.

The door opened and Kallian slumped down next to him. "You have parents to go see and if you're too scared to do it I'll drag you kicking and screaming if I have to."

Shulk laughed. "I was thinking about going."

"Want me to go with you?"

Shulk was silent for a moment. "That would be great, actually."

Kallian stood, offering Shulk his hand. "Let's get going. You lead the way. I have no idea where anything is around here."

Shulk did lead the way. They went through the commercial district, who was just starting to fill up. People paid no mind to them, and they were quickly in the residential district.

Shulk stopped in front of a courtyard. He pushed open the gate that to his knowledge, had never been locked.

To Kallian, all of this was very quaint. The simple thought that there could be houses in a courtyard was something he'd never seen, much less ever thought of. To think that Shulk had grown up here, it was nice. It was great to think that his childhood had taken place in a place as bright and bustling as this, rather than the cold walls of a palace.

The house in the middle of the courtyard was the one that Shulk stopped in front of.

"Are you ready?" Kallian asked.

A deep breath. "As ready as I'll ever be."

Shulk raised his hand to knock when he froze.

"Can I help you two with something?" A man asked from behind them.

Shulk and Kallian turned as one. The man dropped his groceries.

"Shulk? Shulk honey is that really you?"

0o0

While in the market, Anson had heard the quickly spreading story of had happened last night. No one could quite believe it. There were Homs inside of those Faced units. The three of them were still in the colony, though with who they'd stayed the night with depended on who was telling the story.

Rumour had it two of the three were from colony 9, or at least had relatives from there.

Something sat uneasy in Anson's gut after hearing that.

With groceries in hand, he made his way back. Construction would be done all day today, and he wanted to prepare as much food as was physically possible to feed the workers and volunteers. He wanted to help, but his busted knee had given him a noticeable limp that made him unable to do most strenuous physical activities. Though he couldn't help manually, he could help by feeding them.

He was glad that his house was still standing after all of the destruction last night. Most of the damage had happened on the outer edge of the residential district, so his had been saved. They had a few weeks worth of reconstruction ahead, but the death toll was low and they would rebuild. They always did.

He walked up to the courtyard, surprised to see people in front of his door. He was confused by their armour, having never seen it before, which, considering he made the armour of every soldier in the colony, was quite odd.

"Can I help you two with something?" he asked.

They both turned around.

When he saw the face of the one in red armour, he dropped the groceries.

"Shulk? Shulk honey is that really you?" He could barely find the words to say.

Standing in front of him was his son.

His long thought dead son.

His son was alive.

He fell to his knees.

His baby was alive.

"Dad?"

He started crying.

His son stepped forward and fell to his knees as well.

"I'm back," he was crying as well. "I'm sorry."

Anson laughed and pulled his son closer. "There's nothing to apologise for," he said between sobs. "You're home and that's all that matters."

0o0

Kalian knocked on the door. After a few moments, a woman answered. "Did you get everything you-" she stopped mid-sentence when she realised it wasn't her husband. "Oh I'm sorry. And you are?"

She looked very nice. Kallian could see some of Shulk in her, especially her eyes and face. "I'm Kallian. I'm assuming you are Shulk's mother?"

Her eyebrows furrowed. "I… I am, yes. Why?"

Kallian stepped to the side, having been blocking the scene between father and son. Her eyes became the size of dinner plates.

She ran over to them, falling to her knees. Wordlessly, they had her join the hug.

Anson and Elinor hugged their son as tightly as they could.

Their baby was back

It took nearly 20 minutes for the three to stop crying.

"Shulk?" Elinor asked.

"Yes mom?"

"You are so grounded."

Shulk laughed.

They moved inside, still shocked about what had just happened. Kallian followed, but he hung back.

"So who's your friend?" Anson asked.

"Mom, dad," Shulk introduced, "this is Kallian. We've been working together for awhile. He's another face unit."

His parents nodded. He could tell they were a little weirded out, but they were getting used to it quickly.

Their son was alive, and that was all that mattered.

"Coffee or tea?" Elinor asked.

"Tea is fine," Kallian replied.

Elinor got to work, while Anson, who'd recovered the groceries, started prep for his cooking.

"Well, Elinor said as she sat down with the tea, "what have you been up to for the past eight months?"

"It's a long story," Shulk winced, staring intently at his cup.

"We have all the time in the world," both parents said as one.

Shulk took a sip before he started talking. He had a lot to say.

"It all started with an explosion."

* * *

Big thank you to every single one of you. I'm glad to have readers as great as you guys. I hope you all loved this chapter as much as I loved writing it. See you next time!

(Dad machine broke.)


	28. 28- Home

Shulk's parents listened intently to his story.

Elinor was glad to hear that from the start, he hadn't been alone. She honestly couldn't wait to meet and thank the people that had watched over her son. Miqol and Linada were quickly becoming good people in their eyes. It was still difficult to imagine their baby being alone. But he hadn't been, they thought as they eyed the man sitting next to him. Kallian. He'd been with Shulk since pretty much the beginning.

It seemed that while Shulk had died, he'd been doing pretty well. There were some things he didn't mention that they knew he was purposefully opting out. They guessed it made sense. Their shared a glance; this wasn't over.

"...And now I'm here. " Shulk finished, taking a sip of his now cold tea. He'd been talking for nearly an hour and a half and his throat was sore.

Elinor nodded. "You have to give me the blueprints for that flight pack of yours. And show me how your units works. And your weapons? They seem so much more advanced than anything we could ever dream of."

"Eli," Anson said, "no mechanic talk at the table." That was a rule he'd just made up, but it was a very valid one.

"Let's go to the lab them," Elinor declared, standing up.

"Mom," Shulk blanked, "you're still in pyjamas."

She looked down, cursed, and headed deeper into the house to change.

"She's always been like that," Anson told Kallian. "I'm glad Shulk takes more after me in that sense. Sure, Shulk gets scatterbrained at times, but it's never quite as bad as his mother."

Kallian smiled. "When he gets started on a project though, he doesn't stop. I've had to drag him to bed at four in the morning far too many times."

Anson sighed and nodded. "Elinor does that as well. Hyperfocus, she calls it. I've learnt over the years that it's best not to speak to them when they're like that, but at the same time, when the sun is rising and they're still working, that's when I draw the line and drag them home."

"Me as well," Kallian nodded. "I don't care if you don't need as much sleep before, you still have to sleep. Even Linada's had to drag you home."

Shulk feigned offense, then laughed. "Well, I can't stay up late tonight anyway considering I'm grounded."

"She was kidding about that," Anson laughed. "When you were born, we told ourselves that we wouldn't ground you anymore once you were 19."

Shulk looked like a bunnit in the headlights. "I'm 19?"

Anson froze before regaining his composure. "Last month, yeah. We're in june."

"Huh," Shulk muttered. "I knew it had been a while but I didn't think it was June already."

Before Anson could reply, a kid walked into the kitchen. "Is there a reason why Elinor's singing?" He froze when he saw the people at the table. "Ruby?"

"Oh, hey Juju," Shulk replied more casually than was probably appropriate. "How have you been?"

"I've been alright, but where have you been? You just disappeared!"

"I've been busy," Shulk replied. "Call me Shulk, by the way."

"As in, his son?" Juju pointed at Anson.

Shulk nodded. "And you're Sharla's younger brother, which means you know Gadolt."

Juju nodded, confused. "Yeah, he's probably dead by now though. I know Sharla keeps hoping, but still."

Shulk grinned from ear to ear. "If I were you, I'd run over to Dunban's."

Juju's eyes went wide. He was out the door in seconds.

"He's talked about Gadolt a lot," Anson said, "he was like a father to him."

"It's weird to think of Gadolt as a father," Kallian commented. "A brother? Definitely, but a father?"

"It almost seems wrong," Shulk agreed.

Elinor reappeared. "Ready to go?"

Shulk nodded excitedly. It had been forever since he'd worked with his mother, and to say he was excited was a huge understatement.

On the way, they swung by where Ruby had been abandoned the night before. Elinor looked a kid on Biomas morning seeing it move. It followed them to the military district, where both Pearl and Jade had spent the night.

Shulk told her about the inner workings of the three units. He'd spent days upon days doing it and it felt like he could never have the time to tell her everything. He tried to, though. Her questions kept him going and he felt like he could go on all day. He hadn't realised how much he'd missed this.

0o0

Juju was pretty sure he'd never run this fast. Dunban's house really wasn't that far, but right now it felt like it was. He knew there was no way Ruby- Shulk would lie to him. Gadolt was back there.

He stumbled into the house, the door being unlocked. Everyone turned to him, caught by surprise.

"Don't break something kid," a long unheard voice told him.

He froze. It was Gadolt, no doubt about, but… One of his eyes was missing and replaced with a red orb. One of his arms was still Homs, but it looked like had gone through hell. Gadolt himself looked like he'd been through hell himself. Had no one mentioned the fact that there was a hole where his stomach should be? Because there was, and it was honestly quite creepy. It didn't matter to him though; sure, Gadolt's appearance was different, but it was still Gadolt.

Right?

"It's really you," Juju finally said.

Gadolt smiled, and it was the same smile Juju had been seeing since he was 8.

Before he could register it, he was in Gadolt's arms. Even his hugs were the same, though Gadolt himself was less squishy than Juju remembered.

"Sorry I was gone so long kid."

He ruffled Juju's hair (with his flesh hand) and Juju knew then.

While he certainly didn't look the same, this was, without a doubt, his Gadolt.

0o0

The group met up again at noon. Shulk and Elinor had to be dragged out of the lab, both having lost track of time. Shulk had been making a copy of the blueprints of his flight modules while Elinor had been studying the inner workings of Ruby's chest components.

Over lunch at Fiora's and Dunban's, everyone caught up with each other. Tonight, Anson was making a huge barbecue for everyone in the colony. Elinor and Shulk weren't allowed to go back to the lab for the afternoon, since "You can't hog Shulk forever!" as Reyn had so delicately put it.

The rest of the afternoon seemed rather normal, despite everything. The construction efforts were well underway and far ahead of schedule thanks to the help of the mechon. It was far easier to move around lumber when a mechon was doing it. While some people from the colony were weary at first, the point of view quickly changed when they learnt that it was no other than Shulk himself who was at the command of one of them.

When evening rolled around, the meat that had been cooking all day in Anson's barbecue was finally ready. Shulk helped to hand out the food, accidently becoming the main person of the night. He wasn't a fan of the attention, but he was glad to see the people of Colony 9 smiling.

When all the food was handed out, people grouped together to have conversations while the children played between the adults.

"How long do you plan on staying?" Anson asked as he shut off his barbecue.

"Maybe a few days?" Shulk guessed. "We were about to set off on a mission before the news broke that there were mechon headed for here. I'm glad we didn't receive it just a few minutes later, as we would've been gone by then."

"I'm glad for that too," his father agreed. "What kind of mission? If you can answer, that is."

Meyneth spoke up for the first time since they'd left for the colony. "He's your father. Of course you can tell him."

Shulk smiled. "We were leaving for Agniratha, the mechonis capital."

"Really?"

Shulk nodded. "There's something we have to do there. I'm still not quite sure exactly what, but whatever it is, it's important."

Anson nodded. He couldn't say he completely understood, but he also had a feeling that his son was now part of something far greater than he could ever hope to understand. "Make sure to stay safe," he answered.

"I will, don't worry," Shulk smiled and Anson's chest tightened. Every parent wanted to see their child grow to be their own person and be independant, and that's what he saw. His Shulk had grown so much.

"Just come home safely," Anson replied. "Your mother and I will always welcome you with open arms."

The thankfulness he saw in Shulk's eyes made him want to cry. He hugged him instead.

The only other thing of importance that happened that night was when Meyneth approached Fiora. She thought she was talking to Shulk at first, but just be looking at his eyes she knew it wasn't him.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"My name is Meyneth. What I am has no importance to you at the moment."

If Fiora wasn't weirded out before, she was know. "Is Shulk there?"

"I haven't gone anywhere," that was Shulk's voice. "Meyneth just wanted to tell you something."

"Alright then," Fiora nodded slowly. "What is it?"

"That sword you bear, the Monado, it is currently inefficient against faced mechon. The only around that is if you go to Prison Island and have its shackles released."

"What do you mean?" Fiora asked. "How do you know?"

Shulk's eyes returned to their usual blue. "She can get really cryptic at times," he shrugged.

"How long has she been with you?" Fiora was now very concerned.

"Since I died. She's sleeping most of the time, so I don't really notice her much." That was a blatant lie and he hoped that Fiora didn't see right through him. "When she gives advice though, it's best to listen. Go to Prison Island, where ever that is."

Fiora nodded. "I'll talk to the others about it."

The evening carried on until Shulk heard a crackle in his headset. After fiddling with the controls, he could hear Linada clearly. Glancing over, he saw that both Kallian and Gadolt were hearing it as well.

"Shulk, Kallian, Gadolt, can you receive me?"

A synchronised "yes" came from all three of them.

"Another mechon squadron has launched. There's even more than the one you took down, and there's multiples faces among them. They seem to be headed for Eryth Sea."

"We're on our way," Kallian declared, activating his flight pack and flying toward the military district. Gadolt took off after a quick farewell to Sharla and Juju.

"Where are you going?" Fiora asked.

"Another mechon squadron has launched. We're going to intercept," Shulk replied, sounding more like a soldier than anything else.

"Are they headed our way?" Reyn asked.

"No, but we still have to go. I'll be back, I promise. Worse comes to worse, we'll meet up again at Prison Island." With that, Shulk flew off as well.

As the three faced mechon sped away from Colony 9, the friends and family of the pilots could only hope that they would stay safe.

0o0

The three sped off while Linada gave them information on their location.

"Would we be able to intercept in Valak?" Kallian asked.

"Quite easily, yes," Linada replied. "Mechon make their way to Eryth from Valak."

"When will they get there?"

"Half an hour if they stay at their current speed."

"Shulk, Gadolt, are we good to intercept in Valak?" Kallian asked.

"Are you sure you don't want to-" Shulk started.

"I'm not ready," Kallian replied quickly. "I just can't."

"Alright, no problem. We'll intercept in Valak. It'll be safer for the people of Eryth, anyway."

The three of them stationed themselves in the bagnar snowfield. They were ready.

They were, in fact, not ready.

There must have been three dozen mass produced faced units, along with a golden faced mechon.

"Egil," Gadolt and Kallian muttered as one.


	29. 29- Egil

Shulk, Kallian and Gadolt were frozen. While Kallian and Gadolt had seen Yaldabaoth before, Shulk hadn't.

 _How are we supposed to beat that?_ He wondered. _We can't,_ a little voice in his head told him.

They couldn't escape. The only way out was Sword Valley, and that would only make things worse. And so they stood their ground.

The mass produced ones landed in a circle around and above, blocking all exits. Meanwhile, Yaldabaoth landed directly in front of them, it's arms crossed.

It almost looked like an angry mother about to yell at her children. In a way, that was exactly what was about to happen.

"Ruby. Pearl. Jade." It- Egil started, "By running you have betrayed me. Do not think such an affront will go unpunished. Now, will you come quietly? Or will I have to force you to my side?"

It was Gadolt who replied first. "I'd rather die than obey another one of your orders," he spat.

"I'd rather die as well," Kallian agreed.

"After everything you've done, do you really expect us to attack our homes?" Shulk had no idea his voice could hold so much poison.

Something that could have been a sigh came from Egil. "I could kill you right now and be done with it," as an example, he clapped his fingers and one of the mass produced ones dropped dead. "But that would be a terrible waste. The three of you were an investment that I do not plan on letting go so easily. If the pilot will not obey, I can make him obey."

Shulk felt something snap. Then an electrical current went through him. He screamed.

He vaguely remembered hearing Kallian scream as well before everything went black.

0o0

Gadolt could only watch in horror as both of his friends screamed. He couldn't help but wonder why he himself wasn't among them. After what seemed like an eternity that probably hadn't lasted any more than two minutes, everything went eerily quiet. The only thing he could hear was the pur of his engines. Still, the screams still echoed between his ears.

"Now then," Egil said as if he hadn't just been torturing Shulk and Kallian. "Let us go. I do believe you three are in great need of some upgrades. Especially you, Ruby."

Gadolt wanted to scream as he saw the both of them prepare for flight.

"Oh?" Egil said when he saw that Gadolt hadn't moved. "It seems to have no effect on you. I can afford to lose you. Kill him."

Fight or flight kicked in. He didn't stand a chance against an entire squadron of mass produced faces, much less against both Kallian and Shulk.

 _Is this how I die?_ He couldn't help thinking. No. He couldn't die here. He had to stay alive. For Shulk and Kallian, he had to survive this.

He diverted all power to his defences. That might buy him enough time to escape.

While he knew that Kallian and Shulk weren't attacking him of their own free will, it hurt.

"Gadolt."

He just had to dodge.

"Gadolt!"

Maybe he if he dodged for long enough-

"Ga. Dolt."

"Kallian?"

"I don't have much time before Egil realises I'm talking to you so listen and listen closely. I want you to survive. I want you to survive and avenge us you hear? Avenge not only Shulk and I, but every single one of us. If you ever meet Melia, tell her I'm sorry that I couldn't be there to meet her person. Call her feathermop- she'll know the message will be from me."

"Kallian-"

"One last thing. I want you to get out of here alive. Become stronger. Come find us. And please- kill us."

If Gadolt had still had a heart, it would have stopped.

"Stop us from doing to others what happened to us. Promise me- promise me you'll stop us."

"I-"

"Please," the defeat in Kallian's voice didn't go unnoticed.

Though it broke his heart to say it, he said what he had a feeling was going to be his final words to his dear friend.

"I promise."

Pearl attacked. Gadolt blocked, his shields still holding up. He had to reminding himself that this wasn't a training session. This was very much real and he could very easily end up dead. He couldn't die though; he had promises to keep.

He could, however, pretend to be dead.

He remembered a time a few weeks ago where he'd tried to see how much of himself he could shut down before actually passing out. He'd given Shulk a heart attack, who'd thought he'd suddenly deactivated. If he could do this again, he might be able to trick Egil into thinking he'd been defeated.

That was his only chance.

He let Pearl and Ruby attack him, knowing they were probably screaming, telling him to fight back.

With every hit, he shut something down. The cannons. The lights. Secondary blood flow. His mechanical arm. His legs. His second eye. Primary blood flow.

With one final hit to the head, he fell.

And he didn't get up.

0o0

Kallian had never been this afraid in his life. No matter what he did, Pearl wasn't responding to any of his commands and Shulk was eerily quiet. For all he knew, Shulk had passed out. Was Gadolt alright? He was sure that letting himself get hit had been part of his plan, but he wasn't moving anymore.

Egil had mentioned something about "upgrades" and that terrified him. What kind of upgrades? What would happen to them?

Would he even have free will after this?

As he flew over Sword Valley, a deep and impending sense of dread settled in his stomach.

0o0

Gadolt waited for a few hours before putting his systems back online. It felt like waking up from an unintentional 20 hour nap, which is to say he felt miserable. He took deep breaths as all systems came back online and blood flow resumed.

Where could he go? Colony 9 would only worry, though Elinor could probably do the repairs necessary with all the knowledge she had.

The logical answer was the village, but surely Egil expected him to go there and would have a welcoming party. Though Egil believed him dead, so he could probably get away with it. He decided it would be safer to head for the village. Miqol would for certain be able to repair Jade.

As he took to the skies, he assessed the damage she'd taken. Ruby and Pearl had done some massive damage. In fact, shutting down his system and limiting blood flow had actually saved him. He shut down anything that wasn't directly related to flight so he wouldn't bleed to death before he got to the village.

The flight was painfully long and by the time he got back to the village, night had long set. He hid Jade where he normally and limped his way back to town. As he approached the entrance, one the guards came to him.

"Are you alright?" he asked, "What happened?"

"Gotta see Miqol," he replied.

The guard helped him to Junks, where Miqol was thankfully still awake.

As soon as the door to the main room opened, Miqol started talking.

"Welcome back! How did it- Gadolt? By Meyneth what happened to you? Where are Shulk and Kallian?"

"It's Egil," he managed to say. "Egil has them."


	30. 30- Broken

Hello! This is just to say that something odd happened and the notification for chapter 29 didn't go out, so check it out if you haven't read it yet! Enjoy!

* * *

Everything hurt. Every part of Kallian hurt. There was too much. There was too much of everything. It felt like he was dying.

He regretted not asking Gadolt to straight up kill him.

0o0

Gadolt felt numb. When he opened his eye, he recognised Linada's office. "How long have I been out?" Were the first words out of his mouth.

"Only a few hours," she replied. "Jade, however, is out of commission for at least a week, probably longer."

He swore.

"Cutting blood flow when you did saved you from bleeding out." She showed him both his body's and Jade's conditions and it was bad. "I'm going to shut you down to repair interior damage. I would have done so earlier but I wanted to be sure your consciousness wasn't damaged."

He answered questions until she was sure he was fine then, with his permission, shut him down. She had a few hours of work in front of her.

0o0

Everything was dark.

He couldn't breathe.

He couldn't move.

He couldn't feel anything.

He was scared.

He wanted to go home.

0o0

The pain stopped after what felt like years.

Kallian managed to move Pearl, if only a little.

He readied himself knowing that an upgrade video was on its way.

He wasn't sure if he wanted to know what they were.

0o0

Damage to Gadolt was fixed after almost half a day of work. The unit and the pilot were closely related, so if damage was done to one it was reflected on the other.

Miqol was despairing in trying to repair Jade, considering all of the materials he was missing. He knew how face units worked, but it far more complicated than he'd originally thought. He couldn't handle this project alone. He wished Shulk was there to help him.

He hoped Shulk was alright.

0o0

Someone was pulling at his chest. No. He couldn't let anyone do that.

He snapped his eyes open and grabbed whoever dared touch his power unit.

He didn't recognise the female machina. He hardened his grip.

"My name is Vanea," she said. "I'm reinforcing your power unit and hiding its shape for both of our safeties."

He tried to reply, but no sound came from him. He let go of her wrist. If he remembered right, Vanea was Miqol's daughter. And Egil's sister.

"It seems that there was some damage to your vocal chords. I'll see what I can do." She drilled a new part onto his collarbone, essentially hiding Meyneth's power unit. It stung, but nothing more.

He was out before she'd placed his hand back on his side.

0o0

"As of now the most recent upgrade," a mechanical female voice resounded, "all face units may not leave their units for more than 30 minutes once a day. Failure to return before the time runs out while result in immediate and painful massive blood loss causing death."

It droned on. "Failure to follow orders will be punished by painful, high voltage shocks. Controls of the unit will be taken away from the disobeying pilot."

"Remember: the only way to destroy the threat of Zanza is to destroy the Bionis and everything living on it."

0o0

Gadolt tried to help Miqol, but he didn't know much of anything about Jade's inner workings.

With her out of commission, it was hard for him to function. He'd never realised just how much he depended on Jade for so many things. He could only hope Miqol could get the parts to fix her up.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to keep his promise to Kallian.

0o0

Vanea had told him to stay silent and unmoving.

"How is Ruby's pilot faring?" a voice he recognised as Egil sounded.

"There is minimal damage. It took care of itself while it was away. It seems the vocal chords were damaged, however."

"No need to fix that; the pilots don't need to speak."

Shulk felt his blood run cold. He couldn't do anything about it. He was powerless here. He was an "it".

"For it to handle the upgrades it's going to need a new power unit. Once that's done it'll be good to go," Vanea said.

"How long until it is done?"

"Power unit replacement will take a few hours and upgrades will take up to a day, considering how many Ruby has missed."

"Have it done as quickly as you can, but do not sacrifice quality. Ruby is important."

"I am aware. It will be done."

0o0

Kallian was put in storage until further notice once the upgrades had been installed.

He didn't look forward to being shut down; he always felt terrible when he was being powered back on.

He certainly didn't look forward to that.

For all he knew, this would be the last time he was ever aware or in control of what he did.

0o0

Gadolt couldn't sleep.

He'd often joked that he couldn't wait to have the house all to himself so he could always have the bed. He regretted those jokes.

Even when the house was quiet, he could always hear Kallian's power unit. It had been faint, but there. He couldn't hear it anymore. It felt wrong.

Even the mood of the villagers had taken a nosedive.

It was almost like Shulk had somehow been the glue that kept everyone together.

After talking to some Machina, he learnt that for most of them, he, Kallian and Shulk had been like their children.

The children of the village.

0o0

Meyneth did her best to reassure Shulk. He was terrified and forever glad for her. He would probably be faring far worse if not for her.

He didn't know where he was, but at least she was there.

There was something plugged into the back of his neck. It stung and he couldn't move to get rid of it.

Vanea spoke from somewhere. "I modified the upgrades as best I could without Egil noticing. It is likely going to hurt, and I apologise for that in advance."

It hurt more than when Egil had taken control.

He didn't even have the luxury to scream this time.

At least he had the luxury to black out.

But only for a few seconds, the thing plugged into the back of his neck zapped him back awake.

0o0

Gadolt helped the villagers as much as he could, trying to keep up appearances and reassure them. They seemed to know, but no one brought it up.

Gadolt had told him about the promise he'd made, and Miqol was all for it.

They just needed to fix Jade first.

0o0

Vanea quickly interrupted the upgrade after the pilot passed out.

Upgrades couldn't be delivered if the pilot was unconscious, but she couldn't bear to see him in so much pain. She modified them again, to diminish the pain level. The upgrades would install slower, yes, but at least the pilot wouldn't go into shock.

As she initiated the sequence again, she hoped Lady Meyneth would forgive her.

0o0

Miqol sighed. "This is the best I can do with what I have, but she's operational."

He'd been working on Jade day in and day out. Gadol could feel the difference; he could function now.

"I might know someone who could help," he said after a test flight that had gone quite well.

"You do?" Miqol replied. "You could have told me earlier."

"Shulk's mother is an engineer. He taught her everything about the units and they have parts in Colony 9 we don't have here. I didn't want to risk anything considering Jade is our only way to get there."

"That's a good point, but you're wrong on that. Junks can fly."

Gadolt's jaw hit the floor. "Really? That old thing?"

"Indeed," Miqol laughed for the first time in days. "We've been doing maintenance on it lately so we can take off should we need to."

"In case you get attacked?"

Miqol's silence was the only answer Gadolt needed.

0o0

"Tell me," Vanea said, "what is your name?"

"Shulk," the pilot replied, his voice scrappy. "Why?"

"I simply wanted to know the name of Ruby's pilot. I upgraded your programs according to what Egil wanted, but he didn't want me to give you your voice back, so when you're around him or anyone, really, you shouldn't talk. I will do my best to help you, but you will have to do what you can as well."

Shulk nodded. He knew that survival was his priority. To survive, he's probably have to do things that would revolt him otherwise.

He wanted to scream.

He couldn't scream, even if he could.

The thing in the back of his neck still stung.

0o0

With Miqol's seal of approval, Gadolt went to Colony 9. If anything, Shulk's family and friends deserved to know what had happened to him. Then again, they might choose to immediately head for Galahad fortress, which would probably end in their deaths. He had the entire flight there to think about exactly what words to use.

When he arrived, the cannons didn't shoot him. They let him land in the military district. To everyone's credit, no one batted an eye. He headed for the lab, where he hoped Shulk's mother was because he didn't quite remember where his house was.

Thankfully, she was there. She was hard at work on...something. She hadn't noticed him yet.

He cleared his throat. She looked up and didn't seem at all surprised to see him.

"Oh, Gadolt. What can I help you with?" She paused. "Wait. What are you doing here? You and Shulk and Kallian left in a hurry."

"It's a long story," he sighed. "But I need your help."

"No problem. Did something happen to my baby?"

"I'm sorry I couldn't protect him," he replied. "He's alive," he quickly assured her, "but he's not in a good place right now."

She nodded. "How can I help?"

He handed her a list of parts Miqol had given him. "These are what we need to get Jade in full working order. Without her, I can't do anything to help Shulk."

She immediately started digging through the lab, clearing out a desk in the corner and placing the parts on it. "Can I take a look at Jade? Maybe there's something I can do to help."

"That was the plan," Gadolt replied, having stepped out of her way. "Miqol's done as much as he could with the resources he had."

Elinor nodded. "I'll do what I can." She grabbed the bag of parts and other materials she might need. "Why don't you tell me about what happened to my baby while I see what I can do?"

"I guess I could do that," Gadolt shrugged.

0o0

"The implant at the base of your neck allows Egil to override both you and your unit. However, removing it would likely kill you. I am sorry."

0o0

"So this Egil has my baby?"

Gadolt nodded. Elinor had completed the repairs in only a few hours. He was honestly impressed, but probably shouldn't be.

"I'm glad the others aren't here," she muttered. "They would have wanted to go straight for him."

"Where are they?"

"They heeded Shulk's advice and headed for prison island. They should be Makna Forest about now." She went pale. "The only way to Eryth sea these days is the Spinal Spiral."

"And?"

She grabbed his shoulders and shook them. She was stronger than she looked.

"The Spinal Spiral is where the Telethia nest. Very few people are lucky enough to make it out of there alive. Or in one piece. Anson and I barely made it out of there and Anson almost lost his leg."

"Oh fuck."

"Oh fuck indeed. Jade can fly right? How fast can we get there?"

"An hour and a half if I really push it."

"I'll go get Anson," she declared. "Here's some cash, get us some rations. Meet me back here in half an hour." She shoved the money in his hands and was off toward the residential district. He headed to the commercial one.

0o0

"I have made another implant that looks exactly the same to the one Egil had me install. He will not be able to override."

0o0

When Gadolt returned to the military district with as many rations as he could afford, Elinor, Anson and Juju were waiting for him.

"Before we do this,' Anson said. "How much space is there in there?"

"Probably not enough to be comfortable unless you want to be in Jade's hand," he answered honestly.

"I'll go in the hand if we have to," he sighed. "Juju's probably the only one able to fit in there with you anyway."

'Let's do this then."

After everyone was as comfortable as they would get, Jade took off, careful not to drop Shulk's parents.

0o0

"Egil is launching a large scale attack on Eryth Sea in a few days. Use these to knock out Pearl's pilot and the replace his implant with one like yours. You will only have one chance. Good luck."


	31. 31- Back to Eryth Sea

The morning after Shulk, Gadolt and Kallian had left Colony 9 in a hurry, Fiora gathered Dunban, Sharla and Reyn around the table. She told them about supposedly "releasing the shackles of the Monado" in Prison Island that would make the Monado able to damage Faced mechon.

"The faced mechon are our main target," Dunban declared. "If Shulk trusts this Meyneth, so do I."

"We just need to figure out where and what Prison Island is," Sharla added.

"Anson and Elinor might know," Reyn shrugged. "They traveled all over Bionis, didn't they?"

"They did. Dickson, too," Dunban added.

"Let's go ask them," Sharla said. "They're our only lead."

Though they couldn't find Dickson, they found Anson. "Prison Island is in Eryth Sea," he told them. "There was path to there from the shoulder, but the path there collapsed 15 years ago when the Mechon attacked. The only way there these days is… well, I wouldn't recommend it."

"It's the Spinal Spiral, isn't it?" Fiora guessed.

"It is," Anson sighed.

Everyone on Bionis had heard tales of the Spinal Spiral. It was an alternate path to the top of the Bionis, but it was very dangerous. It was said to be nearly vertical and to be infested with incredibly powerful beasts that killed anything that wandered into their territory. Once Makna Path had collapsed, it had become the only way in or out of the shoulder. Very few people had made it out of there alive.

"There isn't another way?" Dunban asked.

"Do you not remember the portal at the top of Frontier Village?" Sharla asked.

"How do we know it's not just the High Entia that can activate it?" Reyn asked.

"One way to know," Fiora shrugged.

"Let's agree that the Spinal Spiral is our last resort?" Dunban declared.

"Agreed," Reyn, Fiora and Sharla replied as one.

"We'll head back out in a week or so," Dunban said. "Let's get ready for it."

"It feels like we're spending more time outside of the colony than in these days," Reyn muttered as they made their way back to the commercial district.

"I guess we could be considered travellers at this point," Sharla shrugged.

"That sounds pretty great, actually," FIora replied.

0o0

The trip back up the Bionis was thankfully uneventful. They'd been prepared and knew what to expect this time.

They spent the night in Frontier village, and Dunban had learnt that they didn't have to be High Entia to take the portal up to Eryth Sea. They would leave in the morning, hopefully arriving in Alcamoth by noon or mid-afternoon.

Navigating Eryth Sea was a challenge as they didn't quite remember the path they had taken, but after Sharla convinced Reyn that they were, in fact, lost, they managed to get directions from a maintenance worker. She seemed to find their situation quite funny.

"Homs or High Entia, it seems men are just as stubborn no matter the people," she laughed.

Fiora and Sharla laughed as well, while Reyn huffed and Dunban sighed.

"Let's just get going," he said.

As they approached the lighthouse around noon, they decided to stop for a quick lunch.

"How are we gonna see Melia?" Reyn asked. "We probably can't just waltz into the palace and ask to see the princess."

"He has a point," Sharla agreed.

"Maybe we can tell them we helped her defeat the Telethia?" Fiora suggested.

"It's worth a shot," Dunban shrugged.

Without much of a plan, they headed out again for Alcamoth. As Dunban had predicted the night before, the arrived in the middle of the afternoon. Well, they arrived at the Centre Gate.

There they were stopped by a group of High Entia soldiers. "You are Lady Melia's Homs escorts, correct?"

"If by escort you mean we helped her defeat the Telethia in Makna Forest a few weeks ago, then yes," Dunban answered. He'd involuntarily become the group's diplomat.

The soldier who had talked spoke up. "Yes indeed. If you'll follow us, we'll lead you to where you'll stay and Lady Melia will come see you shortly after."

Fiora nodded. "Lead the way."

0o0

Melia arrived about an hour after they did.

"What are you all doing here?" she asked. "Is there something you need help with?"

"There's isn't a way to explain it without it taking at least an hour," Fiora winced. "But we need to get to Prison Island, and we figured you were our best shot at getting there."

"To enter Prison Island, one must have Imperial sanction, so you did come to the right place," Melia replied.

"Where is this Prison Island, anyway?" Reyn asked. "Just by the name it doesn't sound reassuring."

"The black tower behind you," Melia started. Everyone turned to see it through the window. "That is Prison Island."

Fiora suddenly felt dizzy.

A black tower at the head of the Bionis.

Metal Face.

A red mechon- Ruby Face.

"You will pay for the pain and suffering you caused to everyone!"

The Monado tearing through mechon armour.

Screaming.

Blood.

Red enveloping everything.

"Fiora!" Everything felt like a blur. "Fiora, are you alright?"

The world came into focus and she saw Dunban looking over her.

"I'm- I'm fine." she sat up. She'd been on the floor? "What happened?"

"You fainted, Fiora," Sharla answered. "Are you feeling dizzy?"

"Not anymore."

"You seem fine," Sharla declared. "But take it easy."

"Should I call a doctor?" Melia asked.

"There's no need to bother someone," Sharla said. "We've been travelling non-stop for a few days, must just be exhaustion. I'll call for one if it gets any worse."

Melia nodded.

"Aren't you curious as to why we want to get to Prison Island?" Dunban asked her.

"Not particularly. You must have your reasons."

Fiora grinned. "You really want to know, don't you?"

Melia's face turned a few shades of red darker. "Go ahead." She pulled a chair from a nearby table. "I don't have anything better to do."

"It all started with Shulk," Fiora started.

* * *

 **Author's note:** I'm sorry this took so long! It was finals week and I was really busy. I also had a ridiculous writers block.

Slightly unrelated, but if you want to see more of my writing, you should check out xenobladeimagines over on tumblr. It's an imagines blog I created awhile back to practice writing more. Feel free to check it out!

See you next time and hope you enjoyed!


	32. 32- Revisiting the Past

Gadolt landed in a large area of dead grass in Makna Forest. He put everyone down.

"Now what?" he asked. He honestly wasn't quite sure what was going on, but if Shulk's friends were in danger, he'd do anything to help.

"Apparently there's a portal that leads to Eryth in Frontier village," Anson replied. "We could ask the village if they passed by; we'd know if they took the Spinal Spiral or not."

"Right," Elinor agreed. "Is Jade safe here?"

"Probably," Gadolt shrugged. "If I sense she's in trouble, I'll move her, don't worry."

"If we take the sky bridges, we could probably reach Frontier village before noon," Anson declared. "Let's get going."

They headed off, Gadolt grabbing his gun and drones. He made sure to not let Juju out of his sight.

Like planned, they reached Frontier village rather quickly. Gadolt stayed back, knowing the Nopon would probably freak out and attack if they really saw him.

"A group of Homs did come by," he heard the nopon who was talking to Anson say. "They did take the portal to Eryth."

"How long ago did they come by?"

"A few days to a week, it was not long ago."

"Alright, thank you."

"Would you like to use the portal to Eryth?"

Anson looked back to Gadolt. "It's fine, we just wanted to make sure they'd passed through here."

"Glad we could help you on your quest."

They headed back toward Jade.

"So now what?" Juju asked.

"We go the Bionis' shoulder," Elinor said. "There, we can reach Eryth and safely park Jade. Alcamoth has anti-mechon defenses that would probably wreak havoc on her."

Gadolt nodded. "Would the defence recognise me as a mechon?"

"Probably?" she shrugged. "I hate to say this, but it's probably safer if you don't come along. Although, you,re the only one who could well explain the situation to the others, I'll do my best from what you told me."

Gadolt nodded. "I'll find something to do on the shoulder then."

"Sorry," Elinor said. "I wish there was a way you could come along."

"I could always quickly make him a shirt and pants so he could fool visual sensors," Anson added.

"A shirt that says 'I died and all I got was this shirt' would be pretty fun," Juju laughed. It earned him a light slap in the back of the head from Gadolt.

"That's not that bad of an idea…" Anson muttered.

"Don't," Gadolt replied.

"It could be a nice joke birthday present for Shulk," Anson mused.

"It would be nice," Elinor laughed. "Though we could get you and Kallian matching shirts."

"Can we just get going to the shoulder," Gadolt sighed.

"Please get him that shirt," Juju whispered to Anson.

"I will," Anson whispered back.

0o0

Melia listened intently to Fiora, who, for some reason, hadn't moved from where she'd fainted earlier and was still sitting on the floor. There was one thing that had caught her attention and she'd been waiting for Fiora to finish before asking.

"The Kallian who was with Shulk," she started. "What did he look like?"

To her credit, Fiora didn't skip a beat before she answered. "He had silver hair, teal eyes and tan skin, why?"

Melia took a picture out from her pocket. "Was this him?"

Dunban reached for the picture and passed it around. The expressions on everyone weren't reassuring.

"He didn't have the wings," Fiora answered, handing back the picture, "but that's him alright."

Melia nodded slowly. She was trying really, really hard not to cry.

"Who is he?" Sharla asked.

"My late brother," her head and wings were downcast. "The former prince of the High Entia."

The room went dead quiet.

Sharla put her hand over her mouth in shock. Reyn and Dunban shared a concerned yet sad look.

"I'm so sorry," Fiora whispered. She stood and walked toward Melia, giving her a tight hug.

Melia wrapped her arms around her and for the first time in almost a year, allowed herself to cry.

0o0

With the directions of Elinor, Gadolt landed on the Bionis shoulder.

"I never thought I'd ever come back here," she muttered after they'd unboarded.

"Me either," Anson winced.

"What colonies were you from?" Juju asked.

"I was in Colony 1, the one closest to the head of the Bionis and what was once the biggest colony on Bionis," Elinor replied. "Anson was from Colony 3, on the other side of those mountains and closer to the Spinal Spiral. I would play with friends near the top of the hill and watch over my younger brother."

"It was a farming colony," Anson added. "When I wasn't playing with friends, I was either out on the field or in the bakery helping my mother. It was quiet, but it was just how life was there."

"All that's left now is ruins," Elinor muttered.

"I'm sorry," Gadolt said. "I'd only heard the stories about the other colonies from survivors when I was growing up. "

"It's fine," she shook her head. "Let's just get going. The way to Eryth is this way."

They walked for about an hour before they reached the ruins they'd seen in the distance.

"Eli, are you sure?" Anson asked.

"Not really but this needs to be done," she declared as she took a deep breath.

She led the way through what had once been Colony 1's main street.

0o0

A young Elinor ran through the streets, her younger brother running in front of her. "Slow down!" she called after him. "You'll get hurt!"

Her brother only slowed down when they reached the fountain in the main plaza. After a short break for some water, they headed up the hill.

From the top of it, they could see all of Eryth and Alcamoth below them. Her brother was in her arms. He pointed to Alcamoth, who even from so far away, looked huge. "They'll protect us if the mean robots come, right?" he asked.

She ruffled his blonde hair. "Of course! They've done it before and they'll do it again. We're perfectly safe here, don't worry."

How wrong she'd been.

She ran as she carried the five year old in her arms. There were mechon and soldiers all around her. Countless people she'd known all of her life, dying. A High Entia soldier urged her to jump into a transport. She did.

0o0

Elinor lead everyone to the hill where she'd played in her friends and brother when she was a child.

The transporter that would take them to the centre gate had long been destroyed, by the mechon or High Entia, she didn't know.

"You guys see that down there?" she pointed at a bit of land below. "That's Latael shore. Since the transporter is out, we're going to have to swim there."

Juju and Anson groaned.

"I might be able to fly you down there," Gadolt reassured. "Without Jade, I mean. With my flight pack, I can take you down there. One at a time, of course, but it would be faster than swimming."

"Yeah, I don't think my leg would be able to handle that," Anson agreed.

"I'll go first," Elinor said. "I'll scout ahead and make sure there's not any dangerous animals nearby.

"Just be careful Eli," Anson said.

"I will." She turned to Gadolt. "Ready?"

He revved up his pack. "When you are."

0o0

Melia wiped away her tears. "I am sorry for losing my composure."

"It's fine," Fiora assured her. "You brother is alive. He left in a hurry, but he's alive."

Melia nodded. "Thank you for that." She took a deep breath to get her composure back. "I will arrange for an audience with the Emperor. Someone will call you down when he is ready."

"We'll be ready for then," Dunban replied.

Melia nodded again and left the room.

"Never in a thousand years would I have thought that Kallian was Melia's brother, much less a prince," Reyn muttered.

Dunban shrugged.

0o0

After ferrying Elinor, Juju and Anson to Latael shore, Gadolt returned to the shoulder; a region of the Bionis he'd only ever heard about. He found structures that reminded him of the splintered path near Colony 6. He also found a massive tunnel that had collapsed. He didn't know for sure, but he had a feeling this was the Makna path Elinor had talked about.

The path looked like it had only recently collapsed, not 15 years ago. In fact, there were only a few loose rocks he could probably push aside. If he himself couldn't, he was sure he could with the help of Jade.

After about an hour, the path was cleared. It lead to another part of the shoulder. He followed the path that lead to a river. In the distance, he saw a wall towering over the landscape. Knowing it likely wasn't a natural structure, he headed for it.

From the etching on the wall, he saw it was ruins of Colony 3. Anson's home colony.

0o0

A young Anson ran through the fields. He heard a woman in the distance, telling the boys to stop it. He ignored it. He loved running barefoot through the fields.

He ran home when the sun waned, his mother scolding him for coming home with muddy clothes.

"You're lucky you don't have school tomorrow so I don't have to wash this uniform," she said as she dunked his shirt and pants in the bucket she'd been doing laundry in.

"I'm sorry ma. Can I help with dinner?"

"Of course An," she ruffled his hair. "Take some of the bread I made and ask Mr. Cardin for some of his strawberries."

He nodded and ran off.

Years later, Anson stopped by the aging Mr. Cardin on his way home and traded freshly made bread with his strawberries. As he returned to the main road to cross the Colony on his way home, he heard a loud crash.

He looked up and saw mechon. In a panic, he dropped the basket and ran home. He ran into his mother. She grabbed him by the shoulders. "You're the fastest runner in the colony. Go get help from Colony 1."

"But ma-"

"I'm going to the shelter, I'll be fine. Go!"

He ran.

He had no choice but to take main street. There were mechon and dying people everywhere he looked. Whenever he stopped for help, he was told to "Run for his fucking life". He did.

A mechon grabbed him by the leg. He screamed. He reached for something- anything. There was a wooden board in reach that he hit the mechon with. He gathered all of his strength and jammed it into the mechon's eye. It let go of his leg and he scrambled to his feet.

He ignored the pain in his leg as he ran across the shoulder to Colony 1. The smoke he could see in the distance did nothing to reassure him. Halfway there, he was picked up a High Entia ship.

"We'll keep you safe kid, c'mon."

With a leg screaming in pain and bleeding, he passed out.

0o0

Gadolt walked through the ruined streets.

His footsteps echoed in a place that had once been lively. Children had run in these streets, mothers had laundered and fathers had traded. Just outside, all kinds of people had farmed to live. It had been a poor colony in comparison to others, but the people had been happy.

It had all come crashing because of the mechon.

Because of Egil.

Gadolt continued, unable to stop himself from wandering the streets. As he passed each door, he couldn't help but wonder what kind of people had lived there. He knew that an old man that had lived up the street from his childhood home who grew strawberries had lived in Colony 3, but that was about it. He'd almost wished he'd paid more attention to the man's stories when he was a kid.

He sighed as he saw what looked to be abandoned children's toys in one street. He wondered if the bakery he walked by had been the one Anson had grown up in.

He returned to Jade.

0o0

The Emperor saw the group within the hour.

After hearing their plea, he went silent.

"I cannot in good conscience allow you to enter Prison Island," he declared. "It is too dangerous."

"We won't question you but I must add," Dunban said. "This could affect not only us but all of Bionis."

Fiora recognised the Emperor. She's seen him before, but where?

Oh.

"You'll meet Kallian in Prison Island," she said to be heard over Dunban. "He's still alive and sometime soon, he'll be there. I know that your son died, but I've eaten with him only a few weeks ago. He's alive."

"Are you mocking me?"

"They are not, father," Melia interceded. "I have heard their story and I see no reason for them to lie. Without having ever seen portraits of him, they described our lost prince exactly. I believe this should be debated further."

"Alright," the Emperor sighed. "I will think it over."

"Thank you," Fiora replied, bowing.

Everyone bowed as well and they were dismissed.

"That could've gone better," Reyn said as they returned to the suite they'd been given.

"All we can do is wait and hope Melia comes through for us," Sharla sighed.

"Did you really see the Emperor and Kallian at Prison Island when you had that vision?" Dunban asked Fiora.

"I did."

0o0

Elinor had told Gadolt that they'd be gone for a few days.

He'd found what he was now sure was Makna path.

With nothing better to do and a mechon with powerful guns, he decided to do the only logical thing.

He was going to blow open the path.


	33. 33- A storm is coming

Metal, Pearl and Ruby were readied for combat and equipped with the mechon's army new toy.

Metal and Pearl would attack Prison Island while Ruby would lead the assault on Alcamoth. Egil didn't want to deal with telethia if Zanza managed to revive himself, which was now an actual possibility since those Homs had the Monado.

0o0

Elinor led the way through Eryth Sea. She'd spent a good portion of her childhood going back and forth between Colony 1 and Alcamoth, so she knew the way pretty well. She made sure Anson and Juju were close whenever they used a transporter so they wouldn't get lost.

They were stopped at the centre gate by guards. Elinor explained why they were there. "Contact Ethan Cadvin and tell him Elinor Makken from Colony 1 is here to see him."

One of the guards nodded before transporting back into Alcamoth, probably to contact Ethan.

"Who's Ethan?" Juju asked.

"He's the one who took care of my grandmother and myself after the attack on Colony 1, thirty years ago," Elinor replied. "I haven't been able to get in contact with my grandmother in years, so I figure Ethan is probably a better bet."

"Oh." Juju muttered. "Wait, you're grandmother is a High Entia?"

"Yeah, she is. Or was, I'm honestly not sure."

Anson gave her a pat on the back. "I'm sure you would've heard something if she'd died."

Elinor just shrugged.

A few minutes passed before a High Entia that looked in his mid-fifties came through the transporter. When he saw Elinor his expression changed and he smiled wide and threw his arms open.

"Elinor!" he gave her a tight hug. "It's been so long! I'm so glad to see you're alright!"

"I'm glad you're alright too, Ethan," she replied. "How long has it been?"

"Last I saw you had a two month old in your arms," he broke the hug.

"That would be almost exactly 19 years ago," Anson replied.

"Oh gosh, Anson!" Ethan hugged him too. "I'm glad you're alright too!"

"Good to see you buddy," Anson gave him pats on the back.

"Now I'm going to guess you two had another kid because you young man," he looked over at Juju, "are way to young to be my godson."

"Juju isn't our son," Elinor said. "We're babysitting for a friend."

"Well they must the best babysitters on Bionis if they bring you to Eryth Sea," Ethan laughed.

"They're pretty great," Juju agreed. "We're actually looking for my sister and her friends, that's why we're here," he explained.

"Alright well, you've probably been travelling for awhile so how about I take you guys back to my place and you can explain everything over some food?"

"That sounds great," Elinor agreed. "Lead the way."

0o0

The squadrons of mechon set off at top speed toward Eryth Sea.

Metal looked down at Pearl, who was almost a kilometer below him. "We don't need him," he muttered to himself. "Even Ruby's dead weight here. Why are they even still alive?"

He figured that they were either low on resources to the point that they couldn't make new units, or that those two were really, really valuable.

Whatever; he would prove himself with this battle.

0o0

Fiora laid in the bed of the room she'd taken in their suite. In a way, she understood why the Emperor had refused them entry to Prison Island; there must be a good reason for it to be sealed, after all. There were also Dunban's words that kept repeating in her head. "There are things at stake here we simply cannot understand."

Knowing that didn't help the vision that was getting clearer and clearer. Everyday, she would get a flash of it and everyday, she understood more of it. Soon, there were going to be four faced mechon in Eryth Sea and on Prison Island. She had a feeling that no matter what, they would end up there.

They just had to be patient.

There was a knock at the door and Sharla popped her head in the doorway. "I'm going out for some food, wanna come along?"

"Sure," she said, getting off the bed. "Eating food prepared by the royal chef is good and all, but I'd like to try out some Alcamoth classics."

"My thoughts exactly."

Sharla had asked one of the guards for any good restaurants, and he recommended a small place in a district whose transporter wasn't far from the entrance to the palace. They thank him and are on their way.

They find the restaurant without much trouble and seat themselves near a window.

"I figured we could talk a little about everything away from the boys," Sharla said after they'd ordered. "There's been a lot happening lately and I can't be the only one who needs to talk."

"You certainly aren't alone," Fiora agreed. "It's been so rocky lately. So many conflicting emotions."

"I know," Sharla sighed in agreement.

"Honestly," Fiora confessed, "when you said that Ruby was probably Shulk, I didn't believe you."

"I wouldn't have believed me either, don't worry," Sharla assured her. "I'm just glad I was right. That they're alive out there."

"I know," Fiora agreed. "I'm glad they're alive, even if they have other responsibilities now."

"I just wish they told us where they were."

"They probably had good reason not to. After all, there's still so many people that would want to kill the mechon, and from what I could tell, the place where they are now is a haven of sorts for the mechon, or at least the people of Mechonis, is such people exist."

Sharla nodded. "I can't really blame those people, either. Everyone knows someone that was killed or injured by the mechon."

Fiora wrung her hands together. "I'm glad Shulk is alive, I really am. For months, I thought he was dead. You had hope that Gadolt might be alive, but I saw him die. I saw Metal Face stab him and fly off with him still on his claws. I saw him die. I didn't have the hope you did."

She holds back tears, knowing better than to cry in a public place.

Sharla places her hands over Fiora's. She ran her thumb over her knuckles.

"I'm so sorry. I can't imagine what it was like."

"I'm just glad he's alive, but I still worry."

"I worry too," Sharla said, "but I'm glad that we know they're out there and protecting each other."

Fiora agreed.

Their food arrived and it was delicious. Almost better than what they served in the palace. Afterwards, they paid and left, walking around Alcamoth to see what it was like.

They eventually returned to the suite, where they learnt that Melia had invited them to a diner with her. They'd of course accepted.

They dressed as nicely as they could considering they hadn't really brought anything fancy with them, though Melia assured them that it was fine. It wasn't a dinner in the royal dining room, so it was fine to dress casually.

She told them that she'd spent most of the day talking about Prison Island with the Emperor and they'd come to an agreement. Though details still needed to be worked out, they would be allowed to go to allowed to go to the island as long as they were accompanied by both the Emperor and herself, along with several guards.

"I hope that does not inconvenience you," Melia finished.

"It's fine," Fiora assured her. "Extra protection isn't something we're against.

After the dinner, they returned to their suite with Melia telling them that sometime the next day the Emperor would call them to make it all official.

That night, no one really slept well.

0o0

Alcamoth's anti-mechon defense systems detected them long before they reached Eryth Sea.

"Love me a good welcoming party," Metal boasted as he disengaged flight mode and starting battle.

"Good to know the defences are doing their jobs," Kalian thought. Thoughts were his only liberties on this trip. Even his body didn't respond to him anymore.

0o0

After everything was confirmed and worked out during an audience in the beginning of the afternoon. They would be leaving for Prison Island this time next week. Until then, they could roam freely in Alcamoth and had access to the palace's training rooms.

It was also declared that they would be having a grand dinner that night and of course, they were invited. If they needed to, proper clothes could be given to them, which they gracefully accepted.

When they returned to their suite, their measurements and preferences were taken and told that clothes would be delivered about an hour before the dinner.

"Man, this is the life," Reyn smiled as he stretched.

Dunban sighed. "I didn't believe you to be that vain, Reyn."

"Hey!" Reyn sat up. "I'm not one to complain about being pampered."

"Just don't get used to it," Sharla laughed from the other side of the room.

"I know, I know."

"I think we should go pay Melia a visit," Fiora said. "After all of that stiff ceremonial stuff, she must be tired.

"She probably wouldn't mind a distraction," Sharla agreed.

Both Dunban and Reyn agreed that they should go visit, so they did.

They got directions from guards and made their way to the imperial villa, where Melia lived. They spent most of the afternoon there, talking and getting to know Melia more. They learnt that since she hid her face during ceremonies and official appearances, she could go into town incognito, and that she loved doing it. Getting to see how the people lived when they weren't being watched by roayls was something she would likely never get tired of.

Reyn suggested that they go out into town then; she could show them around.

She looked really excited at the idea.

"There's still a few hours before the dinner," she answered. "Give me a moment and we can head out."

Sirens sounded.

"What do they mean?" Fiora asked Melia.

"Mechon," she simply replied. "It's the siren for mechon."


	34. 34- Prison Island

**Author's notes:** I'm sorry for the wait! I got super sick after the last chapter and didn't get better until two or so weeks ago. I'm perfectly fine now, don't worry. Thanks for being patient and hopefully the next chapter won't take as long.

Enjoy!

* * *

In the half second that passed between the sirens resounding and the people registering its meaning, the entirety of Alcamoth seemed to freeze. There still wasn't official protocol for what to do, but the screens displayed an announcement from the Emperor.

"Please remain calm and make your way underground. For your safety and that of others, please do not leave Alcamoth. Evacuate the plazas and return home. Lock your doors and transporters. Do not get in the way of Alcamoth soldiers."

People dropped what they were doing and ran. Despite the order to stay calm, most people did no such thing. The streets of Alcamoth were utter chaos as mechon were seen flying above the glass ceiling- the only thing keeping the mechon out of the city.

The palace guards scrambled as the mechon approached. The sensors hadn't found the mechon until they were right on top of Eryth sea, though the defenses had started attacking earlier than that. No one could figure out why the communication between defences and sensors had failed.

0o0

The Emperor knew what he had to do. To save his people, Alcamoth and all of Eryth Sea, he had to make his way to Prison Island. Alone. He told the ministers as much before leaving and taking the Imperial Staff with him.

0o0

Melia was certain she'd never run as fast as she was now. She had to see her father.

When she entered the grand hall, there was general panic.

"What is going on?" she demanded and the ministers hushed.

"Lady Melia," Lorithia said. "The Emperor has gone for Prison Island. He insisted on going alone."

"What are we to do, Lady Melia?" another minister, the minister of judgement, asked.

She looked to the minister of defence. "Secure all exits and entrances to the city. Close the outer transporters that lead in and out of the capital. Deploy the security bars of the dome. No mechon can enter Alcamoth."

The minister nodded before leaving to do just that.

"I will go after the Emperor to ensure his safety," Melia declared.

"But His Majesty insisted on going alone!" Lorithia argued.

"I will go," Melia shot her down. "I am not going alone. These Homs and my guards will accompany me. Fa- the Emperor, cannot be allowed to die."

0o0

When the sirens sounded, Elinor knew exactly what to do. She'd heard many sirens in her life and had a feeling she wouldn't stop hearing them. These meant that mechon were in Alcamoth airspace.

People around her were looking up in confusion. She saw a father gathering his children. She went to him.

It seemed that unlike the Homs, the High Entia weren't trained on how to react in case of a mechon attack from a young age.

"Is there a shelter nearby?" she asked the father.

"There aren't any shelters in Alcamoth," he replied.

"Get you and your children in a solid building with a basement," she instructed. "Pass on the word to as many as you can."

The father nodded. "Thank you."

He pulled his children closer and ran. Elinor ran too.

She found Ethan ushering neighbours into the basement of his home.

"Juju, stay here," she ordered. "Anson, you're coming with me. Ethan, get as many people down here as you can."

Ethan nodded. "There's weapons in the safe upstairs. You know the combination."

Elinor headed for it, indeed knowing what the combination was. She gave Anson a sword and a rifle, just to be safe and outfitted herself with the same thing.

"Prison island?" he asked.

"Prison island," she replied.

They ran. For the third time in his life, Anson ignored the searing pain in his leg.

0o0

Melia led the way as their group made their way to Prison Island. After releasing the seals and fighting a skyray, they were finally ready to enter the island.

The rain had refused to let up and they were soaked to the bones with muddy feet, but they ignored their discomfort and kept going.

Fiora hoped that the vision she'd had wouldn't come true. She didn't want the Emperor to die. She didn't want Melia to lose the only family she had left.

They ran up the tower and took the odd portal of darkness. They didn't stop running until they reached the top, where Melia's father was, unharmed.

"Father!" she shouted.

The Emperor turned and smiled. "Melia!"

She ran and embraced him for the first in years. It took her a moment to see what was behind him.

She looked at it in confusion. "A giant is what the forefathers sealed away?"

0o0

The mechon "fought" their way to Prison Island. The so called anti-mechon defense systems didn't put up much of a fight, but the amount of them was a slight inconvenience.

The rain didn't bother them, it didn't even hinder their radars or sensors, though oddly enough, it seemed to get in the way of verbal communications. They didn't have much of a need for it, but it was still a little odd.

If Shulk could've spoken, he would have told them that the electricity from the storm was affecting their communication, but he couldn't. If he spoke, the same thing that happened to Gadolt would happen to him, which would ruin any chances of ever being free again.

No matter how he looked at it, he only had one shot at this.

0o0

Gadolt saw the explosions off in the distance. He hoped that Juju, Anson and Elinor were safe, but he somehow doubted that.

He flew to the edge of Colony 1, calling Jade as he did since he'd hidden her in a cave further down the shoulder.

Mechon had flooded Eryth Sea. He pushed his engines, ignoring the rain. It didn't impede his radars.

He ignored Alcamoth's anti-mechon defences and went for the mechon instead, shooting down as many as he could. A shield of sorts appeared around the black island and lighting striking down mechon around it. He zoomed away from the island, not wanting to end up fried at the bottom of the sea.

Juju was in Alcamoth. Shulk's parents were in Alcamoth. He'd protect them.

He almost froze when he saw a flash of red flying over and dive bombing into Alcamoth.

Shulk was here.

Ruby was attacking Alcamoth.

Gadolt dive bombed after them.

0o0

Elinor and Anson stopped for breath at the Central Seal. They could see the barrier around Prison Island and the electricity beams being fired from it. "We have to hurry," Elinor muttered. "How's your leg?"

"I'll be fine'" he assured her.

"Let's go then."

Before they stepped into the portal, a green blur passed above their heads, followed by several other mechon.

"Gadolt," Anson panted.

"He's headed for Alcamoth," Elinor added.

"We can only hope he'll be fine on his own," Anson muttered.

They looked back to the portal in front of them.

"Let's go," Elinor declared.

0o0

Fiora stood dumbfounded by what she saw in front of her.

The giant told them all about the Monado, about how he was the one who'd forged and fought with it against none other than the Mechonis.

The giant moved on to the reason they were here: the Monado.

"The only thing you have to do is to free me," he said. "And the shackles of the Monado will be removed."

Fiora moved forward to do just that.

"Fiora!" Melia shouted. "Don't do it!"

She turned to Melia. "There's no other way to stop the mechon, Melia," she replied.

"Please, there must be a reason the forefathers sealed him away."

Dunban put his hand on her shoulder. "It's like Fiora said; it's the only way. The faced mechon can't be hurt by normal weapons."

Fiora swung the Monado toward the giant -Zanza- and freed him.

0o0

Metal and Pearl flew around Prison Island, looking for their target. When they found it, Pearl unlatched the new "toy" from her back and launched it through the barrier and directly at the giant. Metal launched another one at the group of homs and High Entia near it.

Both lances pierced the barrier, Pearl's breaking it entirely.

Both lances hit their mark.

0o0

Gadolt followed Ruby, who was hovering above Alcamoth, but oddly enough, not attacking.

Ruby turned toward him.

Gadolt had to get Shulk out of Egil's control. The only way he knew was the way Shulk had freed him from Egil. Granted, he didn't have Meyneth's wave of pure energy, but what he had would have to do.

"Your name is Shulk," he started. "You're being controlled by Egil. You died and were given a second chance at life. Do you really want to waste that chance being someone's puppet? Are you really going to help those that took everything from you? That destroyed your home? That turned you into what you are now? Are you just going to let them turn more people into mechon? Are you going to accept everything they tell you as truth? Or are you going to fight for everything you believed in before you became what you are now?"

He heard Shulk laugh and breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's alright," it felt wonderful to hear his voice. "Egil's not in control. I just couldn't leave my post until Metal and Pearl were on Prison Island. Now I can leave and we can go wreak some havoc over there."

Shulk switched to flight mode and so did Gadolt out of habit.

"What about the mechon attacking Alcamoth?" Gadolt asked.

Before Shulk could answer, every mechon that had been heading for the city turned around toward Prison Island.

Gadolt could hear Shulk's shit eating grin. "They're following my orders."

0o0

Elinor and Anson reached the top of Prison island just as two massive lances hit the ground. One went through the giant while the other just barely missed the Emperor.

They ran over to make sure everyone was alright. Reyn, Dunban, Fiora and Sharla were confused as to why and how they were there, but there was really no time to explain as two faced mechon landed in front of them.

Metal and Pearl.

The one who'd killed their son and Kallian.

Elinor readied her sword, Anson his rifle.

"Why is Kallian with Metal Face?" Anson muttered.

"It must be the brainwashing Gadolt mentioned," Elinor muttered back.

"Pearl is not on our side!" she warned. "He's being controlled."

Reyn swore.

Metal was taunting them, but Fiora couldn't focus on what he was saying.

She looked over to Zanza in horror. Just as she'd been about to receive the only weapon that could get them out of this situation alive, the only person who could provide her with it had been killed.

"Zanza!" she shouted. "Zanza no!"

"The shackles have been released," his voice resonated in her head. The Monado is yours to wield. Only a god can get in your way."

She felt a surge of energy flow through her. She raised the Monado in the air and it changed forms as she willed it to.

"The Monado obeys your will. If you will it, it will happebn," a voice that wasn't Zanza, but seemed to be coming from the Monado itself resonated in her head.

"Don't attack Kallian," she said as she stepped forward, a blue aura swirling around her. "It's time for you to pay for all the suffering you've caused, Metal Face."

He readied his claws.

0o0

Shulk and Gadolt sped for Prison Island, followed by a squad of mechon.

Ruby got there first, and took a moment to see what was going on. Metal and Kallian were fighting a group of Homs. Not just any group, but Fiora, Reyn, Dunban, Sharla and… were those his parents? Those were definitely his parents.

"How did my parents get here?" he muttered into the comm.

"It's a long story that doesn't involve me panic landing in Colony 9 and taking your parents on a flight all the way up the bionis," Gadolt replied.

Shulk just sighed.

"It looks like they're doing pretty good against Metal and Kallian," Gadolt said.

Metal jumped in the air and landed with force, throwing everyone into a daze.

"Or not."

"Let's go give them a hand," Shulk declared before heading down.

0o0

Sorean watched powerlessly as the group of Homs and Melia fought the mechon. He looked at the staff in this hand and made a split second decision. He gathered energy and released, shooting a ray of electricity directly at the one that had killed his son.

With a satisfying sound, the mechon shut down and dropped to its knees. Now only Pearl stood, his sword raised, but not attacking. No one knew why he wasn't attacking, but he seemed to be shaking.

Fiora didn't want to kill or hurt Pearl in any way, but she had to defend herself and the others.

Pearl swung his sword and Fiora moved to block. To her surprise, the Monado slashed through his sword and continued to where the chest cavity was. It tore through the metal and made the doors to the cockpit fly off.

She stood frozen after her attack, hoping she hadn't hurt him.

He removed the mask that covered his face and she heard Melia and the Emperor gasp.

"We are here for Zanza, not you," he said coldly. "Stay out of our way and you won't be harmed."

Fiora realised with horror that this must be the brainwashing that Shulk had told her about.

She didn't know how to beat brainwashing, but she would try, dammit.

"Brother!" Melia shouted. "Don't you recognise me? Or father? We're family!"

The desperation in her voice was palpable. Everyone could tell she was holding back tears.

"We always played hide and seek in the castle and you insisted on calling me feather mop because my feathers always looked ridiculous in the morning. Please, remember."

"That won't work you sack of bones!"

Metal had reactivated and was aiming its claws straight at Sorean. Metal lunged and no one had the time to react but Sorean himself, who pushed Melia out of harm's way.

0o0

Shulk saw Metal reactivate and opened Ruby's cockpit.

"What are you doing?" Gadolt shouted.

"Something stupid!" Shulk shouted back.

He activated his flight pack and pushed himself toward the ground faster than he would be able to with Ruby.

He pulled the piece of metal that covered his power unit off and immediately Meyneth's aura surrounded him.

"It's good to have you back."

"It's good to be back."

He dove toward Metal, swords turned into one and ready to swing.

He used the momentum of his fall more than anything and slashed off Metal's arm as he landed.

0o0

Silence fell as a red swordsman fell from the sky. From the elbow down, Metal Face's arm was removed and fell limp on the ground just as it had been barely a meter in front of Sorean.

Metal's shrill scream of pain was the only thing that broke the silence.

Before he was done screaming he was shot from above and a few seconds later two more faced mechon crashed down. One between Metal and Sorean, one by Zanza.

"You were right," Gadolt deadpanned. "That was stupid."

"Well it worked didn't it?"

Before Sorean could even register the confusion from the banter between the swordsman and the mechon, Metal recovered.

"I should have gotten rid of you two while I had the chance!"

He lunged, but was thrown off balance by the missing arm and fell over with a flurry of swears.

Pearl attacked, but no one dared touch it. That was Kallian. Fiora especially didn't dare, considering the damage she'd done last time.

"Buy me some time," Shulk heard Meyneth say.

He passed on the message to Gadolt, who knew what to do. He'd spent enough time sparring against Pearl to know how she attacked and how to counter. Thankfully, Metal didn't get back up, in part thanks to Sorean, who was still sending out the electric charge to him.

Shulk ran over to him. "I know you don't know me and what I'm going to say is going to sound insane but hear me out."

Sorean nodded and that was all Shulk needed.

"When I'm ready, I'm going to release as much energy as I've got and when I do, I need to shoot just enough at Kallian to paralyse him for a little bit. The same amount you sent to Metal earlier would be enough."

"You're asking me to shoot my son?"

Shulk froze. "Yes."

"If it will bring me back my son, then yes," Sorean replied. There was a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

"I will admit I've only ever done this once, but it should work," Shulk replied. He knew better than to lie to an Emperor.

"Anything to bring my son back."

Shulk mirrored Sorean's nod.

Shulk went back to building up energy, but it felt like he couldn't quite build up enough. He had to try though. He had no choice but to try.

Fiora ran for Shulk. "I'm glad you're safe," she said.

"I'm glad you're safe too."

"We can talk later," he said. "I have to focus."

She nodded. "What do you want me to do? What do you want us to do?"

"Keep Kallian busy, but don't do anything permanent. Like what Gadolt's doing."

"Alright," she went off to give the directions to everyone else, and Shulk couldn't help but watch how easily all of them moved together in battle. They'd been fighting side by side for a long time. Just like he, Gadolt and Kallian had been. He wouldn't leave one of them behind.

0o0

Meyneth had trouble building up enough energy to for a proper Final Cross. She wasn't sure if it would be enough to free Kallian, but it was worth a shot.

It took her a little while but when she was ready, Shulk told Gadolt through the comm, who in turn told everyone to get behind Shulk. Once they did, Shulk let Meyneth take over.

The red aura and Sorean's charge took flight and hit Kallian head on. He fell to his knees and deactivated briefly.

Before anyone could even think of holding their breath to see if Kallian would still be under Egil's control, Shulk collapsed with a scream of pure pain.

Elinor's instinct was to run to her baby. He was writhing in pain and there was electricity sparking from him. She didn't dare touch in case it would spread to her.

"I'm right here baby," she shouted, "hang in there."

Anson was by her side seconds later, followed by Fiora, Reyn, and Gadolt. Melia was close, but hanging back, unsure of what to do. Dunban was close as well, but stood between them and Kallian should it not work.

The electricity faded and Shulk stayed on the ground, panting hard and reeling from the pain. Elinor rubbed his temples and Anson his back, to soothe their son in the way they could.

"Your attempts are futile, Meyneth," Kallian's voice echoed before Pearl aimed at them and shot.

A red shield went up and protected everyone from the blast, proving to Egil, who was controlling and seeing through Pearl, that she wasn't futile. She was still very much powerful.

Another wave of pain hit Shulk after the shield, but there was no electricity this time.

"Our mission is accomplished," a plain, emotionless version of Kallian's voice resounded. "Time to return to base."

Metal Face crawled up and stood. "I'll get you next time, Dunban," he spat. "This isn't over!"

Both Pearl and Metal flew away, leaving all of the others behind.

"Now what?" Gadolt said, defeated.


	35. 35- Aftermath

Big, big thank you to iammonado on tumblr (toadetteismycaptain on here) who beta-ed this chapter!

Enjoy!

* * *

The rain hadn't stopped falling.

It had been hours since what happened at Prison Island, but the rain refused to let up. Returning to Alcamoth had been a nightmare. Jade and Ruby had managed to put everyone on board and they'd flown back. Upon arrival though, palace guards had attacked and there'd been one hell of a commotion.

It had taken about an hour for everything to settle down. Once it did, everyone had crashed in the rooms that Fiora, Reyn, Dunban and Sharla had been using before.

A doctor was still around and checking everyone's injuries. They'd miraculously come out of it with little to no injuries, the one who was in the worst shape being Anson. He'd pushed himself way too far and his leg was now screaming at him. There was nothing the doctor could do aside from give painkillers since it was a thirty-year old injury. The doctor had also provided a wheelchair, which Anson greatly appreciated.

0o0

Shulk had slipped away the first change he'd gotten, needing to be alone for a while. He sat at the top of one of the palace's towers, letting the rain fall on him.

The sound of the rain on his armour was calming.

He couldn't understand why or how he hadn't been able to get Kallian out of Egil's claws. It had worked no problem with Gadolt, so why? Had Egil reinforced his hold?

Or, maybe, Kallian was with Egil of his own free will.

Shulk shook his head. There was no way Kallian would attack his home. No way.

He had to figure what had gone wrong so it could never happen again.

"Egil will never again be able to control you," Meyneth's voice rung in his head.

She'd been talking to Gadolt then, right after she'd initially freed him from Egil. She'd protected him from Egil, which explained why he hadn't been able to take control back on Valak mountain.

He sighed. If only she'd extended that protection to all of them, then none of this would've happened.

It was his fault for not asking Meyneth to extend that protection to all of them. It was his fault they were in this mess.

He heard a noise and looked to see Gadolt fly over. He was probably looking for him, so he called out.

Gadolt landed and sat next to him. "Your parents were starting to worry about you," he explained. "And we've begun going over plans for what to do next."

"I didn't realise I'd been gone so long, sorry."

Gadolt shrugged. "It's fine. After that, I think we all need a little time alone to figure things out. If you're ready to head back, we can go."

Shulk stood, careful not to fall off the ledge. "I'm good, let's go join the others."

0o0

Shulk and Gadolt came back to the room where everyone already was. Most of them were wrapped in a warm towel or a blanket to warm themselves up after being out in the freezing rain for hours. Shulk didn't need one, but his mother threw him one anyway. He dried his hair so it wouldn't drip everywhere, but that was about it.

He sat between Fiora and his mother, while Gadolt sat next to Sharla, though the only free spot was the armrest. He didn't mind.

On the couch next to them was Dunban and Reyn, while Anson was on his own, leaning back with his leg up.

Melia was on another couch, which had space for another person, but no one was there. She looked so lonely. Fiora almost wanted to go sit next to her.

"Where would Kallian be now?" Melia asked Gadolt. She was still absolutely weirded out by the Homs-Mechon hybrid, but she didn't let it show.

"The likeliest place he'll be is Galahad Fortress," he replied. "That's where the Faces are kept, but if he was taken in for repairs, which he probably was, considering the amount of damage he took, he'll be in the Central factory."

"I know the fortress is on the sword," Dunban added. "But where's this Central Factory?"

"The chest of the Mechonis," Shulk replied. "The only way there is through the field underneath or by passing directly through the fortress. Going from above would be suicide."

Silence fell.

"We go in from the fortress then," Reyn declared. "It's the only way to get him back, right?"

"It is," both Shulk and Gadolt said.

"The battle of Sword Valley two years ago was to stop the construction of it," Dunban said, "but it looks like that failed."

"Yeah," Shulk nodded. "It's fully operational now."

Dunban sighed.

Sorean entered then, having heard that the doctor was now done. He sat down in the only free spot, next to Melia.

"I will sit among you because we all lived through the same thing. We are equals here," he said before anyone could open their mouth.

"From what I overheard, it seems you already have a plan," he added.

"Not really," Dunban replied. "We were simply going over options."

"I was thinking of making an alliance between us High Entia and Homs and I would like you to be those who spread the word," Sorean proposed, knowing it probably wasn't the best time to be saying it.

"Father," Melia replied. "Shouldn't we focus on finding brother? These people seem to have a good idea of where he might be."

"Of course finding and recovering Kallian is a priority," he replied, "but there must be an official reason to be sending my daughter away for the people, and this is it. I do want the alliance to happen, but if we can also use it to find Kallian, we shall."

"It's a decent plan," Shulk said, "But Kallian is on Mechonis, not Bionis. Not sure how you're going to explain to your people why your daughter going to Mechonis for an alliance with the Homs."

"The people will not need to know," Sorean replied.

"I'm sorry to say, but we'll be too busy on the Mechonis to form an alliance," Fiora said.

Sorean nodded. "A shame, but I understand."

"Actually," Anson chimed in, "I can do it. This isn't healing any time soon and I would just slow you down. I can call in on some old favours and get some important people up here."

"Are you sure?" Elinor asked. "You can always just go back home and rest there."

"I'll be of more use up here. It would kill me to be at home and not be able to do anything to help," he replied. "Besides, someone's gotta keep an eye on Juju."

"I can keep an eye on myself." Juju gasped dramatically from his spot next to Sharla.

"No way in hell is he coming along," Gadolt said. "I'm not putting him through that kind of danger."

"Neither am I," Sharla agreed.

"Melia, I trust you are fine in going on this expedition?" Sorean asked.

"Of course Father," she replied, determined. "I have to try to get through to Kallian once more."

Sorean turned to Shulk and Gadolt. "What will you two do?"

"We'll lead the way," Gadolt replied for them both.

"The Mechonis' layout is imprinted into us, so we know our way around," Shulk added.

"Any supplies you need will be provided, you need only ask," Sorean told them. "Until you leave, you are free to explore Alcamoth as you please."

"We'll probably need to some clothes so we don't scare everyone," Gadolt said. "I mean, have you seen me?"

"I can have that arranged."

0o0

The next morning, everyone slept in. The last to wake was Fiora, who sleepily made her way into the main area. Everyone was eating and considering the amount of light coming, she knew it was lunch and not breakfast being served. It was odd because she couldn't remember any time in recent history where she'd woken up this late.

Shulk tapped the chair next to his and she sat there.

"Nice shirt," she muttered.

"Thanks I love it," he replied.

It was a black, long sleeved shirt with "I died and all I got was this shirt" written on it. He also had loose black pants on, and she had to admit it felt odd to see him in anything but his armour.

"I'd almost forgotten how to put on a shirt," he admitted. "It feels a little weird, actually. Especially the hem," he showed the end of his sleeve. "It keeps getting stuck in my wrist joint."

"Just roll your sleeve," Fiora shrugged.

There was a moment of realisation in Shulk's eyes before he rolled up his sleeves. "In my defence I haven't worn clothes in a year."

She laughed, a welcome sound. They'd all been so stressed lately, laughter couldn't hurt.

She barely noticed the plate of food being placed in front of her by a chef.

The plan for now was to relax and recover for a few days before setting off for the sword. They'd take a transport to the entrance of Valak mountain, since because of the weather there flying would be impossible.

Shulk and Gadolt had debated going back to the village during those days to at least tell Linada and Miqol that they were fine, and the others had encouraged them to do so. Might as well ease their minds. They'd also decided they would leave their units there. It would be easier to sneak into the fortress without them. It was dangerous since they wouldn't have as much fire power, but if they could sneak in, they wouldn't need it.

They'd decided to leave that evening so they could arrive in the morning.

In the meantime, they stayed with their families. They spent most of the day in Alcamoth, very much acting like the tourists they were. At Sharla's insistence, Gadolt also wore his "I died and all I got was this shirt" shirt. His armour had been a little harder to hide under clothes, so he looked a little more ridiculous than Shulk. He ignored the weird looks people gave him.

Sharla never let go of Gadolt's hand. Truth be told, she didn't want him to leave that evening, but she knew it was important to him that the people back where he'd been living know he was safe.

Gadolt never left Sharla's side. He squeezed her hand often and she always squeezed back. They had so much to say, but no words to say them.

Shulk, meanwhile tried to talk with the others as much as he could. He was sad to hear that Fiora had sold her restaurant because she'd been away from it more than she'd been at it in the past few months, but he also encouraged her, telling her that once everything was over with, she was sure to find a good plot and clientele.

Reyn wanted to spar with Shulk at some point to see just how strong they'd both gotten. They both didn't want to wait, so they decided to do it after supper, right before Shulk was to leave. Dunban, Fiora and Sharla placed a bet on Reyn, while Gadolt, Anson and Elinor placed bets on Shulk.

They continued catching up all the way through dinner. Then it was showtime.

Sure, Reyn had a lot of power, but Shulk had been built for speed. He dodged Reyn's attacks easily. Reyn wasn't used to fighting against people, much less people with two swords. He ended up blocking and taking most of the hits. When Reyn found his chance after Shulk moved back, Shulk dodged easily and went for Reyn's legs. He almost tripped, but caught his footing at the last second. Reyn took his chance and piled on the hits, Shulk blocking them all. Reyn was starting to get out of breath, but Shulk showed no signs of being tired. If anything, he seemed faster. After another flurry, Reyn found himself tripping over himself and falling hard. Next thing he knew, there was a sword at his neck.

"I think this is the first time you've actually beaten me," Reyn laughed.

"I know right?" Shulk replied, holding out his hand for Reyn to use to get back up.

From the edges of the training ground, groans were heard and money was exchanged.

They ignored it as they went over their performances, telling the other what they did right and what they did wrong.

Dunban, Fiora and Reyn wanted to spar with Shulk as well, who said yes as long as Gadolt was by his side. Three against two should be a decent chance, right?

Wrong.

Shulk and Gadolt kicked their asses. It was a little sad, actually.

"Guess we'll have to train harder," Dunban said once he'd caught his breath.

Again, the duo showed no signs of fatigue. "Well, it'll give you something to do while we're gone," Shulk shrugged.

"And while we're traveling to the sword," Dunban added. He would make sure himself that everyone trained as hard as they could. They were heading into enemy territory. They couldn't afford to be weak.

"I'm just glad you two are fighting with us and not against us." Sharla added.

They set out toward one of the hangars, where they'd parked Ruby and Jade.

They were met with Sorean and Melia there, who wished them a safe trip. When Melia learnt that they would be training for the rest of the evening and for most of the next day, she decided to join them. If they would be fighting together, she might as well get a feel for how they fought.

Once the sun had waned and it was dark outside, Ruby and Jade set off under the cover of darkness. It would be a long flight.

"Your family sure is something..." Gadolt said.

"Tell me about it," Shulk sighed.

They didn't talk much during the flight. Neither would say it, but they both knew the flight wouldn't feel as long if Kallian was with them.

They landed on the Fallen Arm just as the sun was starting to rise. When they arrived at the gates, word spread quickly that they were back.

Linada gave them both a tight hug when they got to Junks, glad that at least two of three were safe.

"I'm going to take a guess that Egil still had Kallian?" Miqol asked.

The two nodded. "I tried doing what I did to Gadolt -the Final Cross- but it didn't work. Egil

has a tight grip on him."

"I know you two well enough to know you're going after him." Miqol sighed.

"We are," Gadolt said, "but we aren't going alone. Kallian's sister, along with Shulk's friends and my fiancée are coming along. We'll be going through the fortress."

"Best of luck to all of you," Miqol said. "If you come across Vanea on your travels, mention my name and she'll help you."

"She's already helped us, actually," Shulk mentioned. "When I was there, she's the one who made sure Egil couldn't control me. She even gave me something to sedate Kallian and have him regain his senses should Final Cross not work, but he never left his unit so I didn't have the chance to use it."

Miqol nodded. "Will you be taking Ruby and Jade?"

Shulk shook his head. "It would bring too much attention to our 'll be leaving them here. Once we're in the fortress, we should be close enough to call them if we need them"

"I'm not worried, you aren't defenceless without them and you won't be alone.

Just promise me to come home safe."

"We will," Gadolt assured him. "We'll come home with Kallian this time."

"Shulk, I'd like to look you over before you leave, make sure everything is in working order," Linada spoke up.

"That's one of the reasons we're here," Shulk told her. "We wanted to make sure I wouldn't shut down or have a repeat of what happened on Prison Island."

"What happened?" she asked.

He told her about the searing pain and the electricity, along with the implant at the back of his neck. She looked worried and immediately she headed up with him to her office.

She was especially worried about the implant since it had caused him so much pain. While a scan showed it was connected to his brain, she was confident she could remove it without causing permanent damage.

He was nervous, but there was no choice but to get that thing out if he was to continue forward.

That night, Gadolt slept in the house he'd shared with Kallian. He didn't get that much sleep, worried about Shulk. He shook away his doubts; Linada could work miracles when she put her mind to it.

He didn't get much sleep either way.

0o0

Shulk's neck was sore, but he was pleased to hear the implant was out. Linada would study it and send him a message when she discovered something.

He went out to find Natalia and Karlos. Gadolt was already with them, who asked a ton of questions about their home colony. They promised them that when all of this was over, they would take them home. The two made them promise to come back safe, then. They would.

Their final stop before leaving was Junks. When they got there, Miqol wasted no time and launched the ship, heading for Eryth Sea. He would get them as close as possible, but he couldn't take them all the way. It was already dangerous enough to be flying in the first place, but Miqol agreed that it was for the best to leave their units on the arm.

Once again, Miqol told them to come home safe, but he also had more thing.

"When you run into him, because I'm sure you will, I want you to kill Egil."


	36. 36- The Battles of of Sword Valley

Big thanks to immonado on tumblr for beta-ing this!

School starts up on monday for me, so updates will be sporadic from more now on.

Enjoy!

* * *

Shulk didn't know what to say, and for a solid minute, said nothing as he processed what Miqol had just said. It made sense, and he wanted Egil to at least pay for what he'd done, but...

"You're the last person I was expecting to say that," Gadolt said.

Miqol sighed. "I know, but he must be stopped. We've tried to convince him to stop before, but he's said it himself; only death will stop him from achieving his goal."

"You're right," Shulk agreed. "We'll take him down. Is there anything you want us to tell him?"

"Tell him I'm sorry," Miqol closed his eyes with a pained expression. "I'm sorry I couldn't be as good a father as he needed."

"Sir," one of the techs spoke up. "We've reached the drop point."

"Stay safe, boys." Miqol said before they left the control room. "Come home in one piece."

"We will," Shulk assured him.

They stepped outside, the sheer force of the wind almost knocking them over. The horn of the Bionis was right above them. They'd fly to it and walk across the shoulder back to Eryth.

They hadn't used their headsets in forever, but they put them on for the flight ahead. It would help them to see through the clouds and stick their landings.

They'd never had a flight this long outside of their units, so it ended up being pretty tiring.

They landed right where the horn met the head, then slid down to the shoulder. They took a break right outside the ruins of Colony 3.

"We'll be able to make it to the center gate from here." Shulk muttered.

"They turned off the defences, right?" Gadolt asked. "I don't want to get attacked."

"They're on, but they won't attack us," Shulk replied. "The Emperor made sure of that."

Gadolt nodded. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah, let's get going."

They flew over to the center gate, where they met up with Fiora, Dunban, Sharla, Juju, and Shulk's parents.

"Welcome back," Fiora said, giving him a tight hug.

"How did everything go?" Anson asked.

"It went well, everyone was glad to know we were alright," Shulk replied. "How's your leg?"

"I'm not walking for a while, but I'll cheer on you guys from the sidelines," he smiled.

They headed back into the city, then the palace. They spent the rest of the day planning the trip to the fortress, using the blueprints Miqol had given Shulk and Dunban's knowledge of the sword.

It would take them a few days just to reach the fortress, where they would either rescue Kallian or head over to the Central Factory. Shulk and Gadolt didn't mention it, but they would likely move on to Agniratha afterward; Meyneth still wanted them to go there, now more than ever.

It took another week for everyone to recover properly and gather all of the supplies they would need. Any time they weren't planning the route, they were training.

They were expecting heavy resistance in the fortress and they had to be ready. Thankfully, everyone had anti-Mechon weapons and Melia using ether to attack, she didn't particularly need it.

The spent the entire week planning. They'd get all of the supplies they would need from the High Entia. They triple checked everything to make sure they would make the trip. They would be able to make it to the fortress with what they had, but not enough to get back. Sorean then organised a supply run at the hilt of the sword, so they would only have to carry what they needed from Valak to there and from the sword to the fortress. Thanks to that supply run, they would be able to make it and have enough for the trip back.

Another problem was solved when Gadolt mentioned that he and Shulk didn't actually need food, but they could carry the supplies needed by others. Once everything had been figured out, they still decided to go with the supply run to drop off their climbing supplies, since they wouldn't need those on the sword.

They were ready. In two days, they would leave for Valak Mountain. The only reason they weren't flying directly to the sword was because a massive blizzard had taken over the mountain and no aircraft could fly through it. It ended up faster for them to walk through the region. The supply shuttle would fly around, making nearly a three day trip.

The morning where they were supposed to leave, Sorean called Melia to the throne room. No one else was there, to her confusion.

The Imperial Staff was out of its stand and in his hands, where it would only be during battle… or a coronation. It was too early for that. This couldn't be it. There would be so much more ceremony to it.

"You called for me, Father?" she said when she reached him.

"I did, so that I may give you this."

Reverently, he gave her the staff. She took it, not sure what she was to do with it.

"This staff has been protecting our people and our family since times immemorial," he said. "Bring it with you, so that it may keep you safe."

"Are you certain?" she asked.

"I am," he assured her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Come home safely. Even if you cannot return Kallian to us, you must return. I could not bare to lose another child."

She nodded grimly.

"I do not say this because you are my heir. I say this because you are my daughter, and I love you."

"I will return alive, father. I promise."

Sorean gave Melia a tight goodbye hug.

0o0

Valak was bitterly cold. The wing cut into them and shards of snow and ice hit their faces. They'd tied a rope around Gadolt, who was in front of the line and everyone hung on so they wouldn't get lost or separated. They could barely hear their own thoughts over the howl of the wind. Despite it being midday, it looked like it was the middle of the night.

Gadolt could see beyond the blizzard thanks to his eye, and Shulk had turned one of the lights along his arm to serve as a beacon if someone were to get lost.

They hoped they wouldn't get attacked by anything, because if they did, they were screwed.

0o0

High above the mountain, something ancient and powerful flew through the blizzard, unhindered by it. She looked over her kingdom, seeing among the dim crystals the lights of the Aries below. Before she could dive to grab a few, she saw a little red light. Nothing on her mountain glowed red.

She flew toward it, keeping her distance. She recognised it. It wasn't as big as last time, but there were people there. Her person was down there. Surely, he would freeze to death in this blizzard. She had to get back.

0o0

The group stopped when Gadolt did, who was looking in the sky.

"What's wrong?" Sharla screamed to be heard over the wind.

"There's something huge flying above, I can't tell what it is." he replied, also screaming over the wind.

Shulk shut off his light as a roar echoed through the mountain.

The blizzard cleared, letting them see a dragon retreat toward Three Sage Summit.

"Abaasy." Shulk muttered.

Without the wind, Valak warmed. They could see farther than their nose again. They undid the rope and trekked down the mountain. They rested at Ose tower, staying there for the night and pressing on as soon as the sun showed itself.

The stripped of their coats and gear as they made their way to the hilt from the thumb, leaving the gear there for the supply convoy to pick up when they got there.

They looked at the valley in front of them. The Bionis was above and Mechonis, straight ahead.

Shulk pointed at the structure further ahead. "There's Galahad fortress."

"Even from all the way out here, it looks huge." Sharla said.

"We're on Mechonis now, the enemy's territory," Dunban declared. "Stay on your guard."

He lead the way, Melia and Reyn close behind, Gadolt and Sharla in the middle. Fiora and Shulk were in the back.

"I hope he's ok," she muttered. "I can't imagine what's going through his mind."

Shulk only nodded.

0o0

Dunban's heart was pounding out of his chest. This was it. This would be their final battle. They couldn't afford to retreat. If they did, they would lose everything they had left. The engineers had been working day in and day out to make as many anti-Mechon weapons as possible and they'd delivered. One third of the soldiers were equipped with one, and it would have to be enough. They marched forward. It was only a matter of time until the battle began.

0o0

Everyone was speechless. It felt as if the sword was creaking around them, like it needed an oil change. This place was ancient and rusted, but a battlefield. A battlefield where countless had died, where a battle as old as time itself had taken place.

There wasn't much time to appreciate the view, since Mechon spotted them and attacked.

The training had done them good, and they worked as one to take their attackers down.

They took the high road to avoid battle as much as possible afterwards, and only got on the lower level to open the gates.

When night fell, they stopped and made camp on one of the ramparts. No Mechon was nearby, but they'd still take watch. Dunban was first.

0o0

The first shots were fired when the sun waned. They'd been ready and fired back with their mobile artilleries and rifles. Those with anti-Mechon weapons lead the charge on the front lines. Dunban was among them, ripping through the wave of Mechon. He'd gotten the nickname of "Beast" years ago, and he was proving it here.

The sword in his hand and those by his side would lead them to victory.

They had to.

0o0

Shulk was the next to take guard.

"How are you holding up?" he asked as he sat beside him on the watch perch.

"I'm doing fine," Dunban replied. "I've managed to keep the worst of memories at bay."

Shulk nodded. "If you get overwhelmed, just say so. No one will mind taking a break, and if they do I have a nice metal fist."

"I didn't think you as the kind to punch people." Dunban said.

"I'm really not," Shulk replied with a laugh. "Did that make me sound threatening?"

"I know you wouldn't hurt a fly, so no."

Shulk sighed. "Before we go on, there's something you need to know about Metal Face."

"It's Mumkhar, isn't it?"

Shulk nodded.

"I had my doubts when he attacked us in Colony 6, but knowing there are Homs inside and after Prison Island, I was certain."

"Probably should've told you earlier," Shulk muttered.

"It's fine." Dunban paused. "I don't think he's under Egil's influence, he was always a little unhinged."

"He's not," Shulk confirmed. "He's his own unhinged self, he just uses his new body like he would have if he were still Homs."

Dunban sighed. "Yeah, that sounds about right. Getting him back is no use. I hate to say this, but he has to die."

"Yeah," Shulk agreed. "Anyway, you should get some sleep. I'll take it from here."

Dunban nodded and headed off to his sleeping bag. For the first time in a long time and surprisingly enough, sleep came easily.

The next day they pressed on through the valley, deciding they would make it to the edge of the fortress, where they would have one final rest before infiltrating it.

They had a lot to travel today, so they avoided battle at all costs. They did take down especially powerful Mechon that would only get in the way should an assault be lead on Sword Valley later on.

Galahad Fortress was now within view.

"Getting through the front door is plain suicide," Shulk said. "There's draining pipes we're small enough to fit through but mechon aren't, so we'll be more or less safe in those."

"More or less?" Melia asked.

"What's being drained is ether. Don't fall in." Gadolt answered.

"Well, most of it is diluted in water to avoid dissolving the pipes, but yeah," Shulk continued. "We'll have to be careful in there."

They left port access to find themselves where all of the ether was being drained out. It looked just like the waterfalls back on Bionis, but green. Green so bright it hurt the eyes.

"There's so much of it!" Sharla muttered in amazement.

"Isn't the only place where liquid ether found deep inside the Bionis?" Melia asked.

"Yeah," Shulk replied. "The sword is draining out the ether from the Bionis and leading it to the fortress to be purified of anything that might be in it and then transported to the Central Factory through pipes and transport-type mechon."

"That's horrifying," Melia said. "Ether is like the blood of the Bionis. To think so much of it is being drained out…"

Shulk nodded. "It's one of the many reasons why Egil has to be stopped."

"But first, let's recover my brother." she declared.

Gadolt put his hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, we're not leaving Mechonis until we have him, even if we have to drag him home kicking and screaming."

For the first time in awhile, Melia cracked a smile.

0o0

Everything had gone to shit very quickly. The mechon had overwhelmed the right flank, and it wouldn't be long before it fell entirely.

"Dunban!" Dickson shouted. "They've called for a retreat! The last line of defense will be in Makna!"

"I'm not leaving," Dunban replied. "We can't let them get any closer. If we do, we lose. Do you stand with me?"

"I don't," Mumkhar replied. "I'm sorry man, but I like being alive."

"C'mon, what would we be without those?" He gestured to Mumkhar's blades.

He sighed. "If I die, you're paying for the funeral."

Dunban laughed. "You aren't dying friend, not today. And you, Dickson? You coming?"

He sighed as well. "Someone's going to have to drag your asses back home."

They charged the incoming wave, only stopping when they saw a giant Mechon.

"If this is a joke it ain't funny." Dickson muttered as he looked over the fortress unit.

"At least we know our luck can't get worse from here." Dunban shrugged.

Other soldiers had joined them, more than half of the force ignoring the order to retreat in order to end the fight here and now.

0o0

Unfortunately, it became difficult to stay out of sight on the port since so many Mechon were going about. The carrier ships were parked on the edge, giving Reyn, Fiora and Dunban chills. Those were the ships that would hover above the colony whenever it was attacked.

"These are bound for the Central Factory, don't worry." Shulk assured their silent worries.

Thankfully, most of the Mechon being transport, they weren't equipped to attack and were easy to take out. They decided they shouldn't take out too many, since it would slow down production and make it obvious that there were people infiltrating.

That plan went out the window when none other than Metal Face crashed down in front of them.

"Mumkhar," Dunban drew his sword. "Stupid old friend."

"Dunban!" he snarled.

The chest opened, Mumkhar leaving his Mechon and letting them all see what he'd truly become.

"I think it's high time for all of you to learn who's the better fighter! And I'll give you a hint; it's not you!"

"We'll see about that." Dunban replied.

Mumkhar fought them outside of his unit, then jumped in when he'd taken too many hits. While the anti-Mechon weapons didn't affect him, the Monado now did. Fiora didn't need to waste enchant, and gave everyone a speed boost to dodge his attacks easier.

Shulk and Gadolt used their drones with second gear as a boost the pile on the damage. Reyn shared aggro with Dunban while Melia and Sharla stayed back, healing and dealing massive damage when they could.

He fired a shot straight up that knocked something high up loose.

Fiora saw it happen before it did; the piece would fall and the platform they were on would collapse.

"Everyone get back!" she screamed, pulling Dunban backward with her as she did. She knew Mumkhar would fire at him and wanted to be close to push him out of the way should he not see it coming in time.

Dunban jumped down to get out of the way, the shot hitting the thing Mumkhar had knocked loose earlier and causing to come crashing down.

Fiora and Dunban were still on the platform. There was no way they would make it off in time.

The blade cut through Metal Face and the platform fell.

She heard Melia's scream as she felt the ground fall beneath her.

Before she could register anything else, she felt something metallic grab and lift her up. She saw Gadolt grab Dunban as well and breathed a sigh of relief. They landed roughly near the others were, scared, but in one piece.

"Thank Meyneth for your flight packs." Gadolt said as he dropped off Dunban.

"I'm really glad I came up with those!" Shulk replied, catching his breath.

"We all are!" Reyn exclaimed. "That was amazing you two. I thought Dunban and Fiora were done for."

"I thought so too," Dunban replied. "Thanks for your quick reaction."

Shulk and Gadolt nodded.

"The drainage pipes are just ahead," Shulk said. "Let's keep going before anyone else pops up."

"Or any other platforms decide to go." Reyn added.

Dunban looked at where Mumkhar had been a few moments before. _Rest in peace, foolish friend._

0o0

Dunban wasn't sure when he'd lost track of Mumkhar in the battle, but he couldn't see him anywhere. The small moment of distraction to look for him cost him dearly. A Mechon shot him directly in the arm. He dropped the sword and collapsed, screaming. Dickson pulled him back, dragging him behind the lines, but Dunban ignored the pain and put the sword in his other hand.

It was now or never, and he wasn't standing down.

0o0

They followed the edge of the wall of the fortress to one of the pipes. According to Shulk and Gadolt's internal map, it would lead them straight to the center of the fortress.

As eager as they were to get inside, they didn't know when they would be able to rest next, so they did.

It was mid-afternoon, but they managed to get some sleep. When the sun started to wane and it was clear no more sleep would be had, they crawled into the pipes.

They crawled on the metal grate above the draining ether. It was there for Maintenance Mechon, who were the only ones small enough to get through here. Since the ether was flowing, they wouldn't be coming through.

It would take them awhile to get through the pipes, but they would make it.

They entered one at a time, Gadolt in front of the line, then Sharla, Melia, Reyn, Fiora, Dunban, and Shulk at the back.

0o0

When the battle was over and the final Mechon fell, his arm was screaming. It was bleeding profusely and didn't look good at all. He was one of the first evacuated. He ended losing the use of his arm, Mumkhar, and many other friends that day. Many of the bodies were never found, so they would never truly rest in peace.

However, the day had been won. They'd wiped out the Mechon. The colonies were safe now. Those who had died had been avenged and could now rest knowing it was all over.

If only it could have lasted longer.


	37. 37- Galahad Fortress

After almost an hour of crawling, they reached the end of the pipe. They stretched and made sure nothing had spotted them, then went deeper into the fortress.

"This is the Main Maintenance Bay," Shulk said as they peered around a corner. "Mechon in need of it are sorted and sent to the right facility here. There's also fuel supply rooms off to the sides."

"Fun." Fiora deadpanned.

"Where would Kallian be?" Melia asked.

"The Face Maintenance Bay is in the third basement." Shulk replied. "If he's still here, that's where he'll be."

"And what floor is this?" Dunban asked.

"Ground floor." Gadolt answered.

"Let's head down then." Dunban declared.

"This lift leads to the first basement," Gadolt said, pointing to the one in the middle of the room. "But it's shut off, by the looks of it."

"What do we do to turn it on?" Fiora asked.

Both Gadolt and Shulk went quiet. "No idea," Gadolt said. "Normally we'd be able to turn it on just by touching the control panel, but we're no longer cleared to do so."

"There has to be an alternative." Melia insisted.

"Maybe there's a Mechon around here that holds a key?" Reyn suggested.

"Worth a shot." Sharla shrugged.

There weren't any Mechon around the perimeter, but the fuel supply rooms were full of them.

They knew they'd have to fight all of the Mechon at once, so they took a moment to talk strategy.

Sword Drones and Canon Drones would be useful here, as well as any attacks that attacked multiple enemies at once. Even with a planned strategy, they had quite a bit of trouble since one of the Mechon turned out to be much stronger than the others. They searched the remnants and found a code in one of them.

It wasn't the full code though, so they had to fight other Mechon to get the full code. Two exhausting battles later, they had the full code and took the lift down.

"Where are we now?" Sharla asked.

"The turbine rooms are on this floor. This is the main base of operations of the fortress." Gadolt replied.

"I know the initial plan was to infiltrate without being noticed," Melia said. "but wouldn't shutting off the turbines slow ether production?"

They reached the main control room, where a window showed them the sheer size of the turbines.

"It wouldn't slow it down," Sharla replied. "It would stop it entirely. Unless there's more turbines of course."

"These are the main turbines," Shulk explained. "If they shut down, everything does. All of the ether passes through them before being passed to other turbines."

"How do we shut them off?" Fiora asked.

"I say we destroy them," Reyn replied. "It'll take a lot longer to get everything working again than if we simply shut it off."

"I like the way you think." Dunban grinned.

"There's a self-destruct button, but we need to shut of the secondary turbines before we can access it." Shulk declared.

"Then let's shut off some turbines!" Melia exclaimed.

They turned back to do just that, glad to see there was only one Mechon guarding the shut off controls.

They went back to the control room. "Who volunteers to go over there?" Sharla asked. "I've worked in the mines, but being above pure liquid ether isn't my cup of tea."

"I'll do it." Shulk shrugged.

"Just be careful," Dunban sighed. "I don't want to have to explain that to your parents."

Shulk laughed. "I can fly if things go bad."

They all watched anxiously as Shulk passed through the blast furnace conduit and found himself on a pipe above the ether river. He made his way to the self-destruct panel.

After fiddling for a few minutes, he opened a closed channel to Gadolt. He turned up the volume so everyone could hear it. "You're through." Gadolt said.

"I need to input a code," Shulk said. "Says the code is on the self-destruct key. Can you guys look around for one?"

"There was a locked door we passed earlier," Melia suggested. "Perhaps it's behind it?"

"Probably," Shulk agreed. "I'm coming back, you guys go on ahead."

They headed to the door, which was now unlocked.

They followed the tunnel, where behind bars, they saw something. "Could that be the key?" Sharla asked.

"Looks like it might be it." Gadolt agreed.

They couldn't reach it with their arms, though Sharla had an idea.

Her rifle was thin enough to pass through the bars and she pushed the key toward them with it. There probably was another way, but this was faster. They had the key before Shulk even joined them, who went back to controls.

He entered the key and code, then a mechanical voice resounded. "Self-destruct sequence initiated. Please take cover behind the blast-proof glass in the main control room. Destruction in 30 seconds."

Shulk got out of there and joined the others in less than 10 seconds. They stayed there until the turbines blew up with a great explosion.

"They're not recovering from that anytime soon!" Reyn laughed.

"Let's keep going." Dunban declared.

A side path led them further down, to where the ether flowed into a blast furnace. The blast furnace was still running since it worked automatically as long as ether was going into it.

They were Mechon blocking their way, the only way through was to fight. Unfortunately, the only thing that led to the furnace was a thin platform with no railing and a deadly fall into ether on both sides.

"I think this goes without saying," Fiora said, drawing the Monado. "But be careful, everyone."

Shulk and Gadolt exchanged a look and flew above to give everyone more space. The Mechon had multiple attacks that knocked people back, so they stayed near the edge to catch anyone that got too close to falling.

Once the Mechon had fallen, they took a moment to recover and make sure everyone was fine.

"The Face Maintenance Bay is just below." Gadolt said.

The lift was ahead of them.

"I hope Kallian is alright..." Melia muttered.

Fiora put her hand on her shoulder and gave a tight squeeze. "We'll find him, even if we have to explore the entire Mechonis to find him."

Melia gave her a grateful smile. "Thank you."

"Now let's go!" Fiora declared.

They took the lift down.

Melia's mind was reeling and her heart was beating out of her chest. She had a vice grip on her staff, to the point that her knuckles were white.

She felt Fiora's hand on her back, rubbing in little circles. She gave her a another grateful look. Fiora smiled; it was reassuring. They may have met only recently, but Melia knew she could trust her.

The lift creaked to a stop.

The found themselves in a room full of Mass-Produced Faces.

"Those are the same lances Mumkhar and Kallian had at Prison Island," Dunban said.

As they moved forward, an alarm went off and Mechon flooded into the room.

The far wall rose, revealing Pearl Face behind it.

"Kallian!" Shulk shouted.

"Brother!" Melia echoed.

He drew his sword and the Mechon closed in, leaving them no choice but to fight.

"No one attack Kallian!" Shulk ordered.

The fight was tough. Not only were they surrounded, but with her gun, Pearl could hit them from all the way across the room and the Monado's shield and speed boosts could only do so much. Thankfully, Melia let off a well-timed Mind Blast that allowed them to take the advantage. Soon enough, the only Mechon left standing was Pearl.

"Brother, please!" Melia pleaded. "Don't you remember me?"

There was no answer.

"C'mon man!" Gadolt shouted. "That's your sister! For the year I've known you you never stopped talking about her! You and I were roommates! You had a stupid crush on Shulk and talked about it almost as much as your sister! How can you not remember any of it?"

There was a beat of silence.

Pearl raised her gun. Shulk pushed Melia out of the way of the blast.

"Time to retreat!" Dunban declared. "Gadolt, how do we get out of here?"

"Through here!" he led the way.

Shulk took Melia's hand and dragged her along. She ran past him and he let go, staying in the back of the line, making sure that if they were followed, he could throw up a shield.

Pearl flew in behind them and fired multiple shots. Shulk threw up his shield, though a shot flew right past it and hit the ground in front of them. Another shot hit that very spot and the ground crumbled. They were on an overpass above the depths of the fortress, and they found themselves falling to them.

Fiora quickly rammed the Monado into the piece of bridge falling with them and slowed her fall. She caught Melia who fell by her and saw Shulk fall by with Dunban and Reyn hanging on to him as his flight pack tried to support the weight of all three. Gadolt caught Sharla.

They landed roughly on the ground.

"Everyone alright?" Fiora asked.

A chorus of "yeah"s came from the party.

"I believe I may have hurt my ankle." Melia muttered.

Sharla did a quick do over and nothing was broken, but it was definitely strained. She limped to her feet.

"What do we do now?" Reyn muttered. "We're stuck down here."

"I pity you," a voice echoed. "Without the power of that sword, I doubt you would have ever made it this far."

A golden Faced Mechon hovered down and stayed above them.

"Apocrypha, activate." A bright light came from the Mechon, along with a shockwave that knocked everyone off their feet.

The Monado shut off on its own.

"What did he do?" Fiora muttered. "What's going on?"

"Watch out!" Reyn's shout came a little too late. A large group of Mechon flew in, one of them slashing at Fiora and hitting her in the back. She screamed and fell to her knees.

"Fiora!" Dunban ran to her and Sharla quickly fired a healing round.

Pearl landed in front of them, her sword pointed at them.

Dunban stood. "Kallian." He'd only used that tone of voice to scold Fiora when she was a child. "How could you? Melia came all the way out here to save you! Do you hear me? Kallian!"

The sword shook. The head shifted slightly.

"You have to run," Kallian's voice was shaking. "I'm not in control, you have to go!"

"Kallian!" Melia cried out.

"Melia, please. Run."

"That other Mechon must be controlling him." Reyn said.

"He is." Shulk confirmed.

"I admit, I never expected such resistance to becoming a Face," Yaldabaoth said. "You three especially, have been nothing but a thorn in my side." He landed in front of them. "From the moment of their creation, all Mechon are mine to control. Should a passenger defy me, I force it to obey."

"Why would you do this?" Fiora demanded. "Why would you make those of Bionis attack the Bionis?"

"To know, you need only submit to me. All will become clear when you are reborn with a new body born of Mechonis. As two of you already know."

"I'm pretty sure submission has to be voluntary, Egil." Gadolt replied.

"Forget about this," Dunban said, only loud enough to be heard by the party but not Egil. "We have to get out of here. There's no way we can win this fight."

"What of Kallian?" Melia asked.

"If we die here today," he replied, putting a hand on her shoulder. "He'll be lost forever."

"I have rendered the Monado useless," Egil continued. "You have no hope of escape or victory. You either submit to me, or die. Hand me the Monado, and it will be quick."

"Never!" Sharla shouted. "We'll never submit to you!"

"If the Monado is really useless," Fiora stood by leaning on it, "Then it has no use to you, either. I'll be keeping it to fight you." She activated the Monado, ignoring the searing pain in her back and hand.

"Fine." Yaldabaoth released a wave of ether. "Then make your final choice. Be crushed by fist, or slain by your old friend."

The choice was obvious. The fought Yaldabaoth.

Fiora couldn't use any Monado arts, but made just fine without them. Sharla focused on healing and keeping everyone debuffed, while Melia buffed everyone. She ignored the pain in her ankle. Reyn and Dunban juggled aggro, which was hard to do considering Shulk and Gadolt were hitting the hardest.

Eventually, Yaldabaoth slammed down and toppled everyone. "This is your end, Heiress to the Monado."

"C'mon Pearl," Kallian muttered as he watched helplessly. "We have to help them."

Answering his call, she whirred to life and he sprung forth, stopping Egil from firing a shot of ether at everyone. "I won't let you do this!" he shouted.

Egil was stunned, but not long enough. Effortlessly, he tossed Pearl aside and she slammed into a nearby wall. Kallian tried to get her back online, but it was useless. He couldn't even open the cockpit so he could join the fight on foot. He even tried to do what Gadolt would and kick it open, but it wasn't budging.

He felt a surge of energy, the power coming back on. Right. Shulk had added an extra reserve tank in case something like this should happen.

Shulk himself was no longer Shulk. Meyneth had taken over. She released a massive wave of ether that pushed Yaldabaoth back.

Kallian took his chance and rushed to Egil.

"Would you really die for them?" Egil asked.

Kallian's answer was an attack, behind which was all of his power.

Meyneth released another wave, this one even more powerful. It might have been too powerful, actually. The wave knocked something loose, which exploded. That explosion caused another, and another and set off a chain reaction.

Yaldabaoth flew off from the fortress as it exploded. "The power of that pilot… Could it be..?"

Pearl had fallen near the edge of the collapsing ground. The others had gathered near a wall.

"We have to get out of here!" Reyn shouted.

"Unfortunately," Gadolt dead-panned. "the only way out is down. Stay close, everyone!"

That was easier said than done, as an explosion broke them apart, sending them rocketing down to the sea below.


	38. 38- The Fallen Land

Fiora was falling. The only thing she could do was watch as the others became dots in the distance, falling as well. She saw Melia above her falling more slowly.

She clung to the Monado. If she somehow survived this fall, she didn't want it to be lost.

Melia had been trained, like all High Entia, on what to do in case of a fall into Eryth Sea. This was close enough. She spread out her limbs, slowing her fall and allowing her to aim her descent.

She could see Pearl plummeting down and a red spot that was probably Shulk near it. There were other black dots below, though she couldn't tell who they were. Right below her, however, was Fiora. She'd been injured and was likely unconscious. Melia could see that wherever they were falling to, there was land. If they landed on it- No, best not to think about that.

The least she could do was save Fiora. The endless ocean wasn't so far; she could aim their fall into it and then, swim to shore. She just hoped she'd be strong enough to drag Fiora along. She dove toward her.

Fiora was awake, so she was able to help a little. They clung to each other, refusing to let go.

They fell headfirst into the water.

0o0

Shulk's flight pack wasn't of much help, since the explosion had sent him flying and he couldn't get his bearings straight enough to activate it, so all he could do was fall. At least it looked like he'd land in water, which was a small mercy.

Pearl crashed in a shallow area. He cringed, hoping Kallian was alright in there.

He landed in a deeper area, not too far from there. He used his flight pack to boost himself to the surface. He swam to shore, and laid down on the beach to catch his breath.

0o0

Gadolt had clung to the person closest to him when the explosion went off. It turned out to be Dunban, but it was something. He couldn't see anyone else during the fall, and hoped that they were all alright.

He used his flight module to turn the deadly fall into an easily survivable one.

They landed on a beach.

"We have to find the others." Dunban said once they landed. "But what is this place?"

0o0

Reyn and Sharla were lucky enough to land in a deep pool of water. They stayed on the ground for a moment, catching their breath.

"You alright?" Reyn asked.

"Yeah, you?"

He gave her a thumbs up.

They looked around the area where they'd landed. They had no idea where they could possibly be. The only way to find out was to explore and try to find the others.

"I mean, they're probably fine, even without us..." Reyn sighed.

"Don't say that, we're all important to the team!" she told him.

"Well, you are; you're our healer. Meanwhile, I'm kinda useless." he shrugged.

Sharla said nothing, wanting to hear what he was going to say before replying.

"You know, the day Shulk died, I promised Fiora that he wouldn't get a scratch. Now both he and Fiora are stronger than me. They don't need me to protect them, not anymore."

"That's not true," she replied. "You've got our backs. Just earlier, you were the one guarding us and fighting back those Mechon when Fiora got hurt. When we head out, you're almost always near the back to make sure we don't get hurt if something comes from behind. Not to mention that Dunban tanks by dodging, but he can't dodge everything. You also make sure that if we are in a battle, the enemies are on you, not on us. How is that useless?"

She saw his expression change. There was a small smile there. "I'd never thought of it that way."

"Sometimes, you just need to take a step back and look at it another way." She told him.

"We should get going." Reyn said. "We're not getting any closer to finding out what this place is if we don't get moving."

"Is it even safe to be walking around when it's this dark out?" Sharla asked. "Maybe we should stick around here, at least until sunrise. If this place is anything like back home, the tougher monsters are out at night, and I'd rather not run into one while I'm soggy."

"Yeah, sounds good to me." He agreed. "Though a fire sounds like a bad idea. We'll just have to hope we dry out with time."

They installed themselves against a wall, getting comfortable for the rest of the night. Sharla slept first, then she took guard. She worked on getting her rifle dried out for most of her watch. When sky turned into hues of orange, they set off, hoping to find the others.

0o0

Melia and Fiora clung onto each other as they swam for the surface. They made it shore, laying down and catching their breath.

"Are you alright?" Fiora asked between two ragged breaths.

"I'm fine," Melia lied. "How are you?"

"I think my back's bleeding again." Fiora said.

Melia confirmed it. She summoned three water elementals, then helped Fiora out of the water.

She got rid of two elements, and replaced them with fire ones. She wanted to find something to make a fire, but she had to stop the bleeding first.

She took off her cape and ripped it into strands. She vaguely remembered her teacher telling her how to care for wounds in the field and was remembering it as best she could. She knew she had to disinfect it and get the sand out of the wounds.

She didn't have any antiseptic on her, so salt water would have to do. She dipped the strips into the water and laid them out on Fiora's back. Fiora hissed and tensed, but said nothing.

"I know it hurts, I'm sorry." Melia apologised.

"It's alright, I expected as much." Fiora replied. "Is my shirt in the way?"

"A little, but it's fine." Melia replied quickly.

"I'll take it off and put it out to dry, hang on," Fiora said. "We wouldn't want to catch a cold or get worse because we spent the night in wet clothes. You should do it too."

Melia froze.

Fiora laughed, but stopped herself. "It's fine, we're just girls here! No one will see."

Melia was glad Fiora couldn't see how flushed her cheeks were. "I"ll just go look for something to make a fire with first."

"Sounds good, but stay safe."

0o0

Shulk walked over to Pearl once he'd caught his breath. It was half submerged and looked totaled. He wasn't sure if would ever fly again. First though, he had to make sure Kallian was alive.

He forced the cockpit doors open with sheer force of will. Kallian was inside, no injuries from what Shulk could tell, but unconscious. He dragged Kallian out and laid him down on the beach. Placing his ear to his chest, he could hear a faint whirring of engines and he breathed a sigh of relief. Kallian was alive. Unconscious, but alive.

He wasn't breathing, though. That was bad. Shulk did the only thing he knew how to do.

He pinched Kallian's nose and leaned in.

0o0

Gadolt told Dunban all about the Fallen Arm.

"So this is where you've been this whole time..." Dunban mused.

Gadolt nodded. "The others should've landed on the arm as well. Shulk and Kallian will know to head for the village, but the others won't. Unless they're found by the guards, which is also a possibility."

"We should look for them." Dunban said.

"Of course, but shouldn't you get dry first?" Gadolt asked. "You'll catch a cold."

Without another word, Dunban stripped off his shirt, removed (and drained) his boots, and took off his pants.

"Did you practice that?" Gadolt asked, amazed at how quick that was.

"Yes, actually." Dunban replied.

"I'm not sure I want to hear the story behind that, but I'm going to assume it involves alcohol."

"Your assumption is correct."

0o0

Kallian's eyes snapped open. Shulk leaped back eyes wide. "You're alright!"

"I am alright." Kallian laughed. "I'm alright!"

Still laughing, he pulled Shulk into a tight hug. "Thank you for coming back for me."

"Of course I went back, I couldn't bear to leave you behind," Shulk replied. "Even Melia came along. We all did."

Kallian broke the hug and held Shulk at arm's length. "Is she alright?"

"I don't know." Shulk replied. "I lost sight of her and the others in the explosion."

Kallian took a deep breath. Melia, like every other High Entia, knew how to fall. She would've survived.

"Let's go find them." he declared.

0o0

Melia ignored the searing pain in her ankle and walked to where she'd seen trees. Some branches had fallen and she figured they were the closest thing to firewood she'd find. She brought them back to the beach, where Fiora had taken off both her shirt and pants. Thankfully, she'd kept a little modesty by leaving her underclothes on.

"Well, that was fast." she said. "I tied the bandages as best I could, though I think we'll, have to change them first."

"We might run out of clothing before the wound stops bleeding." Melia said as she put the firewood down and lit it.

"I'm sure your elementals will have me fixed up by morning." Fiora smiled.

"Hopefully." Melia replied.

The bleeding had almost stopped by now. Melia summoned another water elemental, who joined the other and swirled around Fiora.

After taking off her own clothes (keeping her underdress) and setting it by the fire, Melia sat next to Fiora.

Fiora scooted closer to Melia. Melia scooted closer to Fiora. The fire was warm, but there was still a chill in the air. They huddled closer for warmth. Neither of them could sleep, so they stared at the fire and talked for most of the night.

0o0

Dunban and Gadolt had stopped by the water.

"When my father died," Dunban started. "I promised myself I would protect Fiora at all costs. I'm going to keep doing that until the day I die, even if I know she can protect herself just fine."

"I told myself the same thing about Sharla and Juju." Gadolt said. "Otharon taught me everything I knew, you know. He took me in after my folks died. He signed the papers and everything. Legally, he's my father."

"That was the one in the Faced Mechon who attacked Colony 9, right?"

Gadolt nodded. "I know technically, now that we have Kallian we should be heading back to Alcamoth, but I'm going to keep going to the factory. He wasn't at the fortress, so he must be there. I have to save him. Repay him for everything he's done for me."

Dunban nodded. "I don't think I'm alone when I say we'll come with you."

Gadolt nodded. "Thank you. Who knows, maybe even Melia and Kallian will come along."

"Maybe." Dunban agreed. "Have any idea where the others might be?" He asked after a few moments of silence.

"I have no idea." Gadolt replied. "They could be anywhere. I think our best bet is making it to the village and looking from there."

"Then let's head to the village." Dunban said.

0o0

Shulk and Kallian made their way from Jifum Beach through the pipeworks. The local wildlife left them alone, but the Mechon sure didn't.

They eventually made their way out of the deeper pipeworks and just as they reached the surface, they heard a commotion.

They both froze and exchanged a look, listening. They heard rifle shots and something clanging against metal. Someone was fighting Mechon. They exchanged a look, and leaped into battle.

0o0

Sharla and Reyn headed off toward the only direction they could and they'd barely made it half a kilometer before they were attacked. Ambushed, actually.

They fought back to back against a type of Mechon they'd never seen before. Thankfully, their weapons were effective. Reyn had taken one of them down and moved on to the second when he heard a voice.

"Cannon drones, activate!"

Beams of ether cut down one Mechon while a red blur took down the other one. Within seconds, the Mechon were clanging to the ground.

"Glad to see you two made it alright!" Shulk said. "I was worried, considering how long the fall from the fortress was."

Reyn gave Shulk a surprise hug. "I'm glad you're alright too, buddy. Is that Kallian?"

Kallian waved. "Sorry about the whole attacking you thing, I didn't have much of a choice."

"It's fine." Sharla shrugged.

"I'm still sorry about it." Kallian replied. "It's nice to see you all again."

"We should keep moving," Shulk declared. "The village isn't too far from here."

"The village?" Sharla asked.

"It's where we've been living this whole time." Shulk explained. "Gadolt will know to go there, and we'll head out to look for others that haven't made it back and organise a search party. We'll have everyone together by sundown that way."

"Let's head to that village, then." Reyn declared.

0o0

Melia and Fiora headed out at the first sign of sun. They picked a random direction and headed that way.

They passed through a pipe and found themselves in a plain of grass and metal. They could see a wall in the distance.

"Is it just me," Fiora said, "or does that wall look kinda suspicious?"

"It does look like something might be beyond it," Melia added.

Wordlessly, they walked toward the wall. They ended up having to take many detours because of the layout of wherever they were. Melia's ankle was throbbing by now, and she'd slowed the pace considerably. Fiora's back wasn't any better either. They had to get a good med kit, and soon.

They leaned on each other as they walked, trying to get as close to the wall as they could.

0o0

Gadolt and Dunban reached the entrance of the village around noon. They were greeted by an overly excited Natalia, who gave Gadolt a tight hug. "I'm glad you're alright. You should head to Junks, I'm sure everyone else is worried too."

"Yeah, that's where I'm heading." He replied. "There's probably others that are going to be coming through here, so keep an eye for them too."

"Will do." she said as he headed off.

"There's Homs here?" Dunban muttered.

"There's three here," Gadolt explained. "they fell from the sword and were rescued by a villager."

Dunban nodded as they headed into the building called Junks.

He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw what (who?) was in front of him.

A hearty laugh resounded in the room. "I always get a kick out of seeing people's faces." they said.

"Miqol." Gadolt sighed.

Miqol cleared his voice. "Welcome to our village. You are?"

"Dunban." He replied. "A friend of Shulk's."

Miqol nodded. "Did you manage to get Shulk and Kallian back?"

"Shulk? Yes. Kallian? I have no idea." Gadolt replied. "We fell from the fortress before we could. Egil forewent brainwashing and only controlled Pearl."

Miqol crossed his arms. "I'm going to assume you weren't alone. Where are they?"

"We were seperated when the fortress exploded, we don't know where they are or if they're alright." Dunban said.

Miqol nodded. "They're likely somewhere in the area. I'll organise a search party and have them found."

"I'll go ahead and do a fly over, see if I can spot anything." Gadolt declared. "Dunban, you should stay near the entrance in case they get back. I'd have you come with me, but this place is like a maze to those that aren't familiar with it. And you can't fly."

Dunban agreed and planted himself at the entrance while Gadolt flew over.

0o0

"We're almost there." Shulk declared. "It's right over this hill."

"Thank Bionis." Sharla sighed. "I think I would kill for a bed about now ."

"Me too." Reyn agreed.

"There's some pretty comfortable bed and couches." Kallian told them.

Shulk nodded. "Just don't take the couch in my house, it's the most uncomfortable thing I've ever had the misfortune to sit on."

"Your house?" Reyn asked.

"Yeah, the village is where we lived all this time, so we had our own houses." Shulk replied.

"Gadolt and I were roommates though." Kallian added. "So Shulk could have more space working."

"Well, can't wait." Reyn said.

Just as he said that, the walked over the hill and the village came in view. Well, the entrance to it, anyway.

"Hey, who is that?" Kallian asked.

"I don't know, it's not Karlos or Natalia…" Shulk looked ahead, then paused. "It's Dunban!"

At the sound of that, everyone broke into a run.

"I'm glad you're alright!" Dunban exclaimed when they reached the entrance. His brow furrowed. "Fiora and Melia aren't with you?"

"No, I was hoping they'd be with you." Sharla replied.

"We have to find them." Kallian declared. "This place is dangerous, they can't be left on their own."

Shulk nodded.

"You guys go ahead into the village," Kallian declared. "We'll fly over and see if we can find them anywhere."

"Shouldn't you have Linada take a look at you first?" Shulk asked.

Kallian shook his head. "I can't rest until I know Melia's safe."

"Understandable," Dunban agreed. "I hate having to stand here while Fiora is out there, but I know I'd just slow the search down."

Kallian nodded. "I'll get myself looked over once everyone is safe, not before. I feel fine, anyway."

Shulk nodded.

"Gadolt just headed out, you missed him." Dunban added. "He's flying over to look for you and the others."

Kallian nodded. "Let's head out."

Before Shulk could even reply, he'd revved up his flight pack and was off.

Shulk tried out his, and it seemed to be working fine. "Dunban, have you met Miqol?"

He nodded.

"Tell him Shulk and Kallian are fine, and that they're flying over to search."

Dunban nodded again. "Now go find them."

Shulk took off, his flight pack thankfully behaving. He scanned the ground below, looking for any sign of Fiora and Melia. He saw Kallian doing the same a little further ahead.

0o0

Melia and Fiora were getting frustrated. The wall was only getting farther as they had to take detour after detour to avoid the very aggressive Mechon in the area. At this rate, they'd have to stop for the night again.

Melia had summoned a water elemental that swirled around them both. Fiora's back had thankfully stopped bleeding, but Melia's ankle slowed their pace considerably.

Fiora found herself looking toward the sky when she saw something. There was something flying above. She couldn't tell its shape too well, but it was silver.

"Melia, do you see something up there, or am I seeing things?"

Melia looked up and sure enough, there was something up there. "It looks like it might be… a person?"

Fiora's eyes went wide. "Shulk made flight packs so they could fly outside of the Faces! It must be one of them!"

She spread out her arms and made motions with them. "Down here!" she shouted.

Melia did the same. "We're down here!"

The thing turned toward them and as it got closer, they were able to see who it was.

"Brother!" Melia shouted.

"Melia!" he shouted when he touched down. "Melia, I'm so glad you're alright!"

He gave her a hug, but a careful one. She hugged him back as tightly as she could.

"Are either of you hurt?" he asked.

"Melia sprained her ankle pretty bad." Fiora replied. "And my back went through the shredder."

He nodded. "We're about an hour's walk away from the village," he told them. "I'll call Shulk and Gadolt over so we can carry you."

Both Melia and Fiora nodded while Kallian spoke into the comm.

Shulk landed barely a minute later, saying that Gadolt was on his way.

"Is everyone else alright?" Fiora asked.

"Yeah." Shulk replied. "Dunban's worried about you."

"He's my brother, it's his job to worry about me."

"C'mon, hop on my back," Kallian told Melia. "I'll carry you, just like when you were little."

Melia smiled and hopped on. She could feel her ankle thanking her as she finally put her weight off it.

Shulk offered the same thing to Fiora. "I'm stronger than I look, I'll be fine." He assured her.

Gadolt joined them after they'd set off. He kept an eye for mechon and got rid of them while the others slipped past.

They were back in the village soon enough.

0o0

"I have unfortunate news to share with you all." Sorean declared.

Elinor and Anson shared a weary look, while Dickson and Chief Dunga listened.

"As you know, I have sent a small party to Galahad Fortress. Early this morning, I received a word from the observation team that the fortress has exploded."

Elinor went pale.

"Do we know if they're alright?" Anson asked.

"Unfortunately, the observation was from a long distance and we were not able to tell if the party we sent is alright. We have no way of communicating with them."

"Your Majesty," Dickson said. "If you would allow me, I would like to borrow a ship. If they're alive, there's only one place they could be."

"Permission granted."

"I'll come with you," Elinor said. "Those were my children on that fortress."

Sorean nodded. "Return with news of their safety, if they are.

"It is also a good time to launch an attack on Mechonis. The fortress is not completely destroyed, but their forces have been considerably weakened. If we want a chance to attack, it's now." Anson declared.

"I do agree." Sorean replied.

"We Nopon shall fight as well!" Chief Dunga declared.

"You already know the Homs are fighting. We just have to rally the troops." Anson added.

They called the meeting there, Anson wishing good luck to Elinor. If he could walk, he would be coming as well. She brought some food and a first aid kit, having a feeling they were probably hurt after the explosion.

Dickson took off with the same ship he'd arrived in, which made her wonder why he'd asked to borrow one in the first place.

He knew how to pilot it, and they headed toward the Mechonis.


	39. 39- Now What?

Shulk, Kallian, and Gadolt arrived at the village about an hour later, carrying Fiora and Melia with them. When they arrived in Junks, Kallian and Fiora were swept away by Linada and Sharla, who would take care of them. The others went on to the control room, where Miqol was waiting for them.

"Welcome back." he smiled wide.

"It's good to be back." Shulk replied.

"I assume Kallian is upstairs?"

"Yeah," Shulk nodded. "Probably getting yelled at as we speak."

Miqol laughed. "Indeed. These are your friends?"

"There's two more upstairs." Gadolt said.

Miqol crossed his arms. "Well, you're free to stay as long as you like. If there isn't enough space in Shulk's and Gadolt's houses, there are some villagers who are willing to house them."

"That's good to know." Gadolt nodded.

"Excuse me," Melia spoke up. "But what is this place?"

"Ah, Shulk didn't tell you?" Miqol replied. "Let me tell you about it, then."

0o0

Dickson's piloting of his ship was questionable at best. Elinor felt like it would've been safer to jump off the Bionis and swim to wherever it was they were headed.

Still, when it came into view, she couldn't quite believe it.

"Is that…" she muttered. "Is that the arm of the Mechonis?"

"Yup." Dickson replied.

She wasn't sure how to answer, so she hung on to her chair as he moved in for a landing. As they flew over, she saw some houses and what looked like a massive ship in the palm of the hand. They landed right outside of that area.

No one said anything as they entered the area. A village, by the looks of it. What was a village doing all the way out here?

Dickson led her to the ship in the center of the village, where once inside, they heard a booming voice talking about the Fallen Arm. After going through another door, they ended up in what seemed to be a control room of some sort.

0o0

Right as Miqol was about to start his explanation when the doors slid open and two others walked in. It wasn't Kallian or Sharla or Fiora.

"Mom?" Shulk asked. "What are you doing here?"

Elinor wasn't sure what to say.

"Figured if you guys were alive," Dickson explained. "This is the place you'd be."

Shulk only nodded.

"How did you know about this place, old man?" Dunban asked.

"Miqol and I go way back." Dickson replied. "I've known about this place for awhile."

Dunban and Elinor gave a confused nod.

"Well, since everyone is here," Miqol declared. "I'll start telling you about the history of this place."

0o0

Sharla was disinfecting the wound on Fiora's back and bandaging it up. Fiora hissed at the pain of it, but didn't say anything. Sharla put on the correct kind of bandages, which weren't clothes.

Kallian was on another table, Linada checking all of his vitals. He was fine. No systems were damaged, but his power unit looked like it couldn't hold as much. She couldn't understand how he wasn't any worse considering according to him, Pearl was probably out of commission for good.

His power unit would recover with time, there was nothing she could do to make it heal faster.

"Do you have anything to brace an ankle?" He asked her.

She shook her head. "Not one fit for a Homs or High Entia, sorry."

"It's fine, I'll just give her piggyback rides until her ankle heals."

"That should do." He could hear her smile. She dismissed him, then turned her attention to Fiora and Sharla. "Do you need help with the bandages?"

"Yes." Sharla replied.

With the two of them, they quickly finished bandaging up Fiora's wounds.

"Don't over-exert yourself." Linada warned. "This wound could easily open again if you so much as move the wrong way."

"I'll keep a close eye on her." Sharla assured.

"I don't want to do much of anything," Fiora replied. "I mostly just want to sleep it off."

Linada nodded. "You can sleep here if you'd like. I would be able to keep an eye on you and change the bandages should they need to."

"That sounds good." Fiora agreed.

"The bed that would be most comfortable for a Homs is in the room to your left when you leave this one. I'll check on you as soon as I finish filing Kallian's data."

Fiora nodded. "Sharla, you can head with the others and tell them I'm going to rest here for a bit."

"I'll tell them, don't worry."

They separated as they left the room, Fiora heading to the infirmary and Sharla downstairs.

0o0

Kallian walked in while Miqol was explaining the history of the Fallen Arm. He scooped Melia into his arms and by her sigh, could tell she'd been putting far too much of her weight on her bad ankle. Sharla came in a few minutes later and by then Miqol was done.

"Where's Fiora?" Elinor asked.

"In the infirmary upstairs," Sharla answered. "She wanted me to let you know she'll be resting there for awhile. The wound she got from that Mechon is a lot worse than I thought it was. I should've healed it better."

"Not your fault." Reyn told her. "You didn't really have the time to heal her. The fortress blew up what? Five minutes after she got hurt?"

Sharla gave him a small smile. They all felt responsible for Fiora's injuries.

"At least you're all in one piece." Elinor told them.

"Didn't you say you had some beds and couches we could crash in?" Reyn said. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm about ready to pass out."

Almost everyone gave a nod of approval.

"There's beds, couches and sleeping bags at our place." Kallian told them.

Unanimously, they headed out toward the houses. It might've been midday, but everyone was exhausted.

It didn't take long for them all to get everyone installed either in a couch, bed or sleeping bag. Minutes after they'd arrived at Kallian and Gadolt's house, everyone was asleep.

Well, almost everyone.

Kallian, Gadolt, Shulk, and Elinor couldn't sleep.

They went outside so as to not wake anyone.

"So this is where you've been this whole time." Elinor said.

"Yeah." Shulk replied.

"And Dickson knew." She continued. "And he didn't tell me."

The look on her face said one thing: that Dickson was a dead man.

"Mom, I told him not to tell you or anyone." Shulk explained. "I figured that you knowing I was alive out there somewhere where you would have no idea how I was doing or if anything had happened to me was worse than thinking I was dead. I also still wasn't over the whole 'I've been turned into the very thing we've been fighting against for generations' thing."

She looked at him in silence, then gave him a small, sad smile.

"I understand. That couldn't have been easy."

He nodded. She gave him a pat on the shoulder.

"We should probably go see what we can do for Pearl," Gadolt said. "She might not be completely totaled."

Kallian nodded. "I hope she isn't completely gone. We wouldn't be able to fight as effectively without her. "

"We should definitely try to fix her up." Shulk argued. "We're going to need as much firepower as possible if we're going to be fighting Egil. I don't really see how we can fight Yaldabaoth with just Jade and Ruby."

"I'll help in any way I can," Elinor declared. "I have a rough idea of how the units work, since I helped fix up Jade awhile back."

"Jade has much different inner workings than Pearl though." Shulk told her. "But with you, Miqol, and I, we should be able to get her operational again."

"We should be able to get her closer to the village with Ruby and Jade." Gadolt said.

"You two do that." Kallian said. "I'll tell Miqol to get what he needs to fix up Pearl and we'll get started."

With that, they split up.

Less than half an hour later, the crumpled remnants of Pearl was on front of the entrance to the village. The first thing they had to do was to assess all of the damage. Every scratch and damaged circuit so they could have a comprehensive list of everything that needed to be fixed. The list was… long. Very, very long.

Next, they figured out which parts they needed to fix what and where they could get those parts. Most of them they could get through foraging and fighting local Mechon, but others would be tougher to find. Miqol was hoping Vanea would be able to get them.

They started with what they had. When the villagers learnt what they were doing, they volunteered to help. Those who couldn't scavenge or help with repairs were looking around Jifum beach for any parts of Pearl that had been split from the main unit. Others were gathering water and making sure no one was going thirsty.

At this rate, it would take weeks, maybe months, to fix up Pearl.

Still, they would try. They had to.

0o0

At the beginning of the evening, Fiora woke up. She felt a lot better now, and told Linada as much.

She changed the bandages and it already looked much better than before. Linada accompanied her outside, and led the way to Gadolt and Kallian's house.

Dunban was on the doorstep.

"How are you doing?" He asked her.

"I'm fine." She gave him a tight hug and he gave her a very careful one.

"Everyone else is sleeping." He explained. "Where are Shulk and the others?"

"They are outside the village." Linada answered. "They are working on fixing Pearl Face."

"We could go join them." Fiora said. "The others still need to rest, so we can let them."

Dunban nodded.

"Right this way." Linada said.

They found themselves in front of what looked like a construction site. There were people walking around everywhere and at the center of it all was Pearl, who was in a pitiful state. She'd been damaged by Egil, the explosion, and the fall.

Fiora found Shulk among it all, perched on Pearl's shoulder. He had a circuit board in one hand and some kind of tool in the other. She had no idea how he was keeping his balance.

"Shulk!" she shouted.

He almost jumped. He looked away from his work and smiled wide when he saw her. He carefully put the circuit board back into the shoulder and jumped down from his perch.

"Fiora! I'm glad you're alright!" he told her.

"I'm glad she's alright too." Dunban added.

"I'd ask if there was anything I could do to help, but I can't do much right now." Fiora laughed. "So is there anything Dunban can do?"

He sighed and gave her a light punch in the arm.

"Well, he can carry some parts, we're still sorting through everything." Shulk said.

"How's everyone else?" Kallian asked as he joined them.

"Still sleeping." Dunban replied.

Kallian nodded. "Good, they all need rest."

"Do we know what's happening next?" Fiora asked.

Shulk shrugged. "Probably Alcamoth. Or Agniratha."

"Agniratha?" Dunban asked.

"The Mechonis capital." Shulk replied. "We have some business there."

"How about Alcamoth and then Agniratha?" Dunban proposed.

Shulk just shrugged. "Maybe. It depends on Kallian."

"Alcamoth and then Agniratha sounds good to me." Kallian said. "You need time to recover from your injuries, and we need time to get Pearl back online. We need to take down Egil, yes, but we can't fight him in the state we're in."

Everyone agreed.

Afterwards, Dunban and Fiora helped out with the reparations. Fiora did some sorting, but mostly watched. Dunban, meanwhile, helped with some of the heavy lifting.

At sun wane, they headed back to the village. Only Shulk, Elinor, and Miqol stayed behind, who kept working until it was too dark. While they had some lights to illuminate them, they knew they should get some sleep.

Shulk took Elinor back to his own house, since there wasn't much space in Kallian and Gadolt's. In fact, that's where those two were spending the night. Apparently, Dickson was at Junks. He'd told them that he'd get them some of the parts they needed, though he was staying so Elinor could have a ride back to Alcamoth.

0o0

That night, they sat in a circle in the main area of Shulk's house.

Kallian had his face in his hands. "I'm not sure if I actually want to go to Alcamoth," he muttered.

"I'll beat them up if your family has anything to say about it," Gadolt said, cracking his fingers.

"Considering his father is the Emperor, that's a terrible idea," Shulk told him.

Gadolt just shrugged.

"I knew I'd had to face him one day, but I didn't think it would be a few days after trying to murder him."

Shulk and Gadolt winced. They'd almost forgotten about that.

"Not to mention the fact that I had the Empress, my mother, arrested just a few weeks before I died," Kallian added.

Elinor gave him a pat on the back. "Do you want me to adopt you?"

He laughed. "Thanks for the offer, but I think I'll pass."

He would rather face Egil with nothing but his armour than face his father.

"You can always just stay here and I'll stay with you to fix up Pearl," Shulk said. "Gadolt's the only one your father knows."

"Though contrary to Yumea, my father actually does care about my well-being. He'll want to see me after what happened at Prison Island, otherwise he'll think the worst even if Melia tells him I'm fine."

Silence fell over the room.

"I'm going to go, but if you want to stay to fix Pearl I won't stop you," he eventually said.

Shulk shook his head. "I need to go to Alcamoth to see if they have some parts we need anyway. And I really want to see my dad."

"And I couldn't fix up Pearl if my life depended on it, so I'm coming along too," Gadolt said.

"We should all get some sleep before we go," Elinor said. "Long day tomorrow."

0o0

The next morning, they met up in the plaza. They all felt rested and were ready to go on.

They weren't sure what they should do. Logically, they should be going to Alcamoth, but fixing up Pearl was also a priority.

"It will be easier for you, I think, if you go to Alcamoth." Miqol declared. "You need time to recover, and I will take care of fixing up Pearl. Go."

Shulk nodded. "It's something we could use, I think."

He couldn't see it, but pretty much everyone agreed with him.

They would fly out with Dickson's ship.

He was a terrible pilot. It was terrifying.

"I'm driving on the way back." Shulk declared.

"Please." Reyn begged. He looked like he might throw up.

"If you don't like my driving," Dickson declared. "Get your own ship."

"We will." Melia replied.

They gratefully left the ship at the Centre gate, where they were greeted by some guards. Kallian hung in the back of the group, though the fact that he had Melia on his back didn't help.

It seemed like she could feel his anxiety and she gave his shoulder a squeeze. "It'll be fine." She whispered.

"I hope so." He replied.

Still, he wasn't sure if it would be alright. Sure, Shulk's and Gadolt's family had taken them in, with open arms, but these were the Antiquas. The Imperial family.

He had a feeling things wouldn't go over so well.


	40. 40- Childhood Memories 2

My semester's over, so have a chapter! Shouldn't take me too long to uplaod the next one, most of it is already written.

By the way, High Entia age about 5 times slower than Homs, so keep that in mind while reading this chapter, it tripped up one of my beta readers.

* * *

By the time he was 40, Kallian knew the palace and its many hallways by heart. His mother insisted on having guards follow him everywhere, but even the guards understood he needed some freedom. As long as he stayed out of trouble and out of the central hall where the people could see him, they were fine with pretending to be guarding him. When anyone asked, of course, Kallian slipped away a lot and it was hard to find him afterwards.

He didn't get his clothes dirty anymore, and he could often be found in the gardens of the second consort's villa. He was a known trouble maker, and Sorean let him be.

"A child, even a royal one, is allowed to be rowdy." He would always say. "He is not breaking any rules, after all."

Nobles were annoyed, since their children were often scared of being with a "trouble maker" and their parents barely ever let him play with him. They wouldn't let their children be influenced by a troublemaker, even if said troublemaker was the prince. Unluckily for the parents, Kallian was a master at sneaking away, even with other children.

It was his only chance to hang out with people his age, he wouldn't give it up for anything. The other kids, though trying to be polite and proper at first, would get shot down by Kallian. "It's just us kids here, don't worry." They would then relax, and play with the prince. They would play until the event was coming to a close, then sneak back in like nothing ever happened.

When he was 50, he started receiving lessons on how to be an advisor to his father. He took them seriously, since he knew that would be his job one day. He always wiggled in his seat, but his tutor seemed to understand and let him have breaks every hour and a half, which seemed to be about as long as he could go before getting too worked up. He was always thankful for that tutor, and made sure Melia was tutored by him as well.

When he was 58, the second consort arrived at the palace. His mother insisted he stay away from her, and if he was honest, his mother had managed to make him hate Homs and half-Homs. Yet, the second consort was kind and unlike everything his mother had told him about Homs. It was the first time he ever questioned what his mother had taught him, and one of the last times he ever listened to her "teachings."

He considered Lady Cathalina to be just like his mother, except kinder and Homs, though he didn't care about that.

Melia was born five years later, when he was 63. She was adorable and Kallian to make sure she had as good a childhood as he did. He couldn't do much, since he was so young, but Lady Cathalina made sure she did. Just because Kallian was a prince and Melia was a princess didn't mean they should be raised differently, and while Yumea didn't agree, Sorean did.

When Melia was 5 and Kallian 67, Cathalina first got the permission to take Melia to her home Colony so Melia could get a taste of what it was like outside of the palace. After a lot of begging, Kallian convinced his father to let him go with her. He agreed on the condition that not a word of this be spoken to Yumea. He'd long started his rebellious phase against his mother, and didn't mind the condition at all.

It was his first time outside of the palace without a mask, and it was freeing. Some of the locals of the colony seemed enamoured by him, since High Entia, especially young ones, weren't seen in the colonies often. Cathalina let him buy a few souvenirs with money from his allowance, which up until now had been sitting uselessly in his chambers. He even got a tiny little headdress for Melia and a necklace for Cathalina when her back was turned. The merchants, thinking Cathalina was his mother, helped him pick out just the right thing.

They stopped around noon for a small lunch break, and Kallian asked as many questions as he could about the colony and what it was like living here, his eyes sparkling. Cathalina promised she would bring him back here as often as she could. Maybe when he and Melia were older, they could even come on their own. She told him not to bank on that, since she had no idea if it would be allowed or not. He didn't seem to mind.

Even if Kallian got busy with his lessons, he made sure to drop by the villa and play with Melia everyday. He'd been lonely in his younger days, and didn't want Melia to be like him.

In fact, they could often be found playing around the palace. Hide and seek was common, much to his guard's dismay.

They'd even play in the audience room when it was empty, with Sorean supervising. He loved seeing his children enjoying themselves and not caring about the manners they had to put on in public (or when around the First Consort). He did draw the line when Melia managed to tackle "Kally" to the ground when he was running from her.

They continued the tradition of sneaking away during events, Melia mastering the technique. She used the transporters instead of the hallways, so they could "escape" from the event faster than Kallian ever had. They found themselves on old, oft-forgotten halls of the palace, where the only people around were the children. In fact, only the staff (and Melia) used those halls. The staff didn't mind, even sometimes sneaking them extra dessert.

She was considered a little angel in court, both because of the way she acted and the way she was dressed. Of course, some nobles spoke of her small wings and heritage behind her back. When Kallian or Cathalina heard it, they made sure to chew out said noble. No one would speak ill of Melia on their watch.

She was never away from Kallian, her mother or her father. She was scared to let them out of her sight. What if she never saw them again? When she got tired, she would cling to Mommy and she would lead her back to her room. It wasn't rare for her and her mother to retire early, since the princess had an early bedtime. She also didn't like to sleep alone. She didn't mind sleeping alone in her bed, but didn't like being alone in the room. She would eventually get her own room (she technically already did, she was just still too scared.)

Kallian was a little jealous about that, since he'd never even slept in the same part of the palace as his mother. It was a nursemaid that put him to sleep every night. He once slept over at the villa, where Cathalina read both him and Melia a bedtime story from her home colony.

That night had probably been the night where he'd fallen asleep the fastest in years. He really hoped Cathalina would let him stay more often. Or maybe he could have her come read him a story in his room? Maybe he'd get the courage to ask her one day. For now, the recorded lullabies he listened to in secret would do.

When Kallian was 75, he was allowed outside of the palace on his own. The people still didn't know his face, so it would be fine. To the people, he would just be another teenager. He could use the money from his allowance to buy something, and feed himself for lunch.

He wandered the different districts, unsure what to do at first and a little lost, he wandered through the streets until he found a quaint little café. He looked through the menu and ordered a sandwich with a cold coffee. It was really good.

His first, and subsequent visits to Alcamoth went pretty well. He told Melia all about his outings, who was still too little to go out on her own. She'd only gone out to the colony with her mother a few times. She would be his age when she went out for the first time, which was weird to think about.

His mother distanced herself from him as he got older, which he was thankful for. He didn't want to be closely associated with her much anymore. In fact, he only ever called her by her title when he talked about her and she wasn't in the room. "Empress" and "First Consort" crossed his lips more often than "Mother" did by the time he was 90.

He got busy with his job as the Emperor's advisor, and as such didn't have as much time to keep an eye on Melia. She seemed to be doing fine. He made sure to visit her as often as he could.

He was the one who comforted her when Lady Cathalina died. She wasn't supposed to cry in public, but in her now empty villa, there was no one to see or hear her cry.

She eventually moved to chambers in the palace so she could be closer to the others. The villa reminded her too much of her mother and couldn't stand living in it. She wouldn't say it, but she felt a little scared to be left alone in such a big villa on her own; it was just too big. She had a picture of her mother and her on her desk.

She dove into her studies. She was a little young to start her full education, but she insisted on it. Sorean approved, seemingly understanding she was doing it to distract herself from the loss of her mother.

She was an exemplary student, as was expected of her. She'd also started her ether training, and she was really, really good at it. It was one of the few things in her routine she always looked forward to.

The other thing was the visits to Alcamoth. Kallian would tell her all about his visits when he was younger, and now it was her turn to anonymously explore the city she would help rule one day. For now, to the people, she was just a regular, half-blood, teenager. She got a few looks because of the size of her wings, but thankfully, no one ever commented or attacked her for it.

She told Kallian all about her visits when she got back, and he listened as intently as she did when she was younger. She wasn't allowed to visit the colonies on the shoulder.

Kallian didn't seem to agree with that, and gave her the code to access the transporter that lead to Colony 1, her mother's home colony. Melia deserved to know more about part of her culture. Simply knowing half of it wasn't enough, in his opinion.

She went there in secret while she was supposed to be out in Alcamoth. She'd left before noon, and had to be back before sun wane, so she had enough time to visit the colony and the city.

She wasn't sure where to go first, since she'd never gone to a Homs colony before. The market was bustling, so she went there. She was looking at what the merchants were selling. Most merchants started a conversation with her, commenting on the fact that she was High Entia and that aside from those that lived in the Colony, they didn't have any visitors often. She'd lie and say she was visiting family. They nodded.

"Are you related to Lady Cathalina?" one of the merchants asked.

The look on her face was enough to tell the lady at the stall, who was High Entia, everything she needed to know.

"I could tell, you look just like her, you know." The woman continued. "It was a big honour to everyone in the colony when she was chosen as a consort. Did you know sometimes she'd come here with you in a little carrier? It was adorable."

Melia smiled. "Thank you for telling me. She never did tell me much about her home colony."

The woman nodded. "That does sound like her."

"How do you know my mother?"

"I was friends with her while we were growing up," she explained. "We were neighbours."

Melia nodded. "Do you know much else about her?"

"She was very kind and nice to all. She was a very dear friend. We always did get in trouble when we were younger, though. Oh, to think of everything we did back then… It's hard to think that the Lina I knew became Consort to the Emperor."

Melia shook her head. "It's fine. It's nice to learn a little more about her. I never would've thought she was a troublemaker."

The woman laughed. "She certainly didn't seem like it, but she was."

The woman invited her inside, where they had a little bit of tea and the woman -Camilla- was telling her all about Cathalina (or Lina as she called her) when they were younger. Melia felt like a child again as she listened to the stories.

Eventually, it was time for Melia to get going, and Camilla gave her a parting gift. It was wing decorations. They were beautiful.

"These look handmade… are you certain?" Melia asked. Hand-made wing decorations were usually exchanged between friends.

"Lina made these for me when I was your age. When I outgrew them I told myself I'd give them to my children, but even they've outgrown them by now. So you wear them. Your mother made them, after all."

Melia held them close and nodded. "Thank you."

Camilla gave her a nod. "You should get going. Good luck."

Melia nodded and went on her way. She promised herself that next time she had the chance, she'd go visit Camilla. She was the closest thing she had to an aunt.

She started wearing those decorations, saying she'd gotten them in Alcamoth. Only Kallian knew the real story behind them.

Before she got the chance to visit the colony again, it was attacked by Mechon. Before the Imperial guard could be deployed to send help, the colony had been razed to the ground. There were very few survivors, who took refuge in other colonies on the shoulder. Even if there was increased surveillance, more Mechon attacked, destroying the other two colonies of the shoulder, making Alcamoth the only city remaining in the upper Bionis.

Melia looked at list of surviving High Entia who'd taken refuge in Alcamoth. There was no Camilla in the list. She didn't cry, but she did feel a little out of it for a few days. Kallian came to her chambers late one night, with a piece of cake he knew she loved.

"It's not much, but…"

"Thank you."

Even now, she still wore those head wing decorations. She never did outgrow them.

When she was 80, she started working behind the scenes with her brother and father. She still hadn't been officially revealed to the people, and as such still did outings to Alcamoth once in awhile. Sometimes she'd even go with her mask to make impromptu appearances.

At 85, she finished her education in ether, and was one of the best ether masters in Alcamoth.

It was also announced that her 90th birthday celebration would be the day she would reveal her face to the people, even if 90 wasn't an age usually celebrated. It was really just an excuse to do something the first consort had been trying to push back as far as possible. If it was just for her, she would never be revealed and live her life in the shadow of her brother.

Melia and Kallian worked together everyday. They were closer than they'd ever been, and anytime they had free time, they'd simply talk. He couldn't go out to Alcamoth as much as he did when he was younger since the people did know his face and he didn't feel like being followed or hounded by his his fanclub- which he did, unfortunately, have.

Melia had one as well, but they weren't as outspoken since she hadn't shown her face and no one knew what she looked like.

Sometimes, when no one was looking, they would sneak into the the unused service corridors, and run around like when they were children. They were little again, and that was something they clung to.

Kallian would even sometimes carry Melia on his back. It reminded them of when they were little, when they would spend the entire day playing, and Kallian would carry her back to the villa when she was too tired to walk.

It was the same thing now; Kallian was carrying her back to the palace, not because she was tired, but because she'd hurt her ankle. This time though, he was terrified. He'd never been scared of his parents before, but today he was.

Melia tightened her grip on his shoulder.

She was scared too.

They would have to face their father together.


	41. 41- Closure

Kallian knew the way to the audience chamber, but he followed the guards anyway. They didn't seem to recognise him, which he wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not. The Emperor saw them immediately.

Melia muttered into his ear, saying she was fine to stand. He didn't miss the squeeze she gave him; they were both nervous.

Kallian wouldn't say it out loud, but he hoped his father didn't recognise him. Things would be easier that way. Probably. It would be less of a bureaucratic mess, that was for sure.

It was a shame his father had recognised him at Prison Island.

"I must say," Sorean said. "I am glad you are all alive. When I heard that Galahad Fortress exploded, I feared the worst."

"We were lucky enough to be in another part of the fortress when it blew," Fiora lied.

Sorean nodded. He looked to his ministers. "You are dismissed. Each and everyone of you."

While exchanging not so subtle worried looks, the ministers left through the transporters behind the throne. Once they were all gone, Sorean smiled. Kallian was pretty sure he hadn't seen his father smile in a few decades. He also stepped down, "lowering" himself to the level of everyone else.

"Kallian, my son," he said, his voice shaking. "I'm so glad you are safe." For the first time since he was a boy, his father gave him a tight hug. "I thought I had lost you forever."

"I'm glad to see you again, Father," Kallian replied, hugging back tightly. "I didn't think I would see you, either."

"Melia," he heard his father say, "come here." He broke the hug, and arm on Kallian's shoulder and another outstretched, reaching for his daughter.

Melia walked over, and was suprised when Sorean pulled her into a hug, along with Kallian. It was the first time he'd hugged both of his children, and he cursed the traditions that limited contact between Antiquas. They were a family. They should speak and hug far more often, they were High Entia, too. They should be allowed to show emotion.

Melia wanted to cry. She never thought this would happen. Sure, Kallian had tough armour and was all sharp edges now, but he was still Kallian. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt this much love.

The others in the group exchanged smiles. Shulk tried not to cry. He knew just how scared Kallian had been about going back to Alcamoth, and he was so happy for him. He noticed that Gadolt pulled Sharla closer and gave her a hug, too.

The three of them had met back up with their families now. If someone had told that to Shulk a year ago, he would have laughed in their face. Yet here they were now, with their families right there.

Sorean broke the hug. "Let us take this somewhere else," he said. "I know there is much to discuss."

There was a mostly unused conference room that would fit all of them and was more comfortable for them to all speak in and make plans.

"It's for the best if we keep your existence unknown to the public for now," Sorean said.

There were no complaints from Kallian. He didn't want to deal with having to explain his existence to the people.

"The Nopon and Homs representatives have agreed to work together and attack the Mechon. We are still deciding on specifics, but the attack will happen soon," Sorean declared.

"I'm going to guess you want us to front the attack," Fiora replied.

"On the contrary," Sorean shook his head. "I want you to go ahead. Earlier Shulk said he had business inside of the Mechonis. Do you still have that business?"

"We do," Shulk answered. "Now more than before. Someone back at the base has given us an important mission."

Before Sorean could ask, Kallian spoke up. "We've been given the task of killing Egil, the leader of Mechonis."

"If we coordinate our attacks," Gadolt said, "We can spread him thin and it would give both us and the army a better chance at survival."

"We would have to coordinate our attack, but once we enter the Mechonis, we won't have any way to communicate," Fiora said.

"Shulk," Sharla said, "when we entered the fortress, you said that you and Gadolt had maps of the place in your mind, do you have those for the entirety of the Mechonis interior?"

He nodded. "We do."

"We could plan a route and give a rough estimate of how long it would take us. You could plan your attack that way," Kallian said.

"It will likely take a few weeks to plan this attack," Sorean replied. "You are free to stay here and rest before heading back out."

"We could use a little bit of rest," Fiora agreed.

"And you should see another doctor," Sharla said. "That wound of yours needs more treatment than what I and Linada were able to do."

"I'll show you to the infirmary, I need a trip there myself," Melia said.

Everyone got up to leave, but Kallian stayed behind. Shulk looked back to make sure and Kallian nodded. He wanted to talk with his father.

"Is Yumea still…" he asked.

"Yes," Sorean replied. "She is locked up in the Tower of Investigation and the jury has just a few days ago decided on her fate. She has already been stripped of her titles will die a traitor."

"So she'll be executed then?" Kallian said.

Sorean nodded gravely. "The trial and evidence gathering lasted longer than it would have because of the death of a key witness, but there was enough evidence to convict her, along with other members of the Bionite Order who were captured alongside her."

Silence fell between the two. They both knew Kallian was that key witness.

"Do you wish to speak with her?" Sorean asked.

"I don't know," he replied. "I didn't think she would still be alive if I ever returned here."

"I will let the guards know to let you pass if you do decide to speak with her."

"Does she know of her fate yet?"

"No, as per tradition she will not know until the day before her execution unless someone tells her beforehand." Kallian could've sworn he saw pain flash in his father's eyes for a moment.

"Kallian," his father said, "my son, I am glad you are still alive. I thought I would never see you again. I do not care of the way you look now, though others might. Do not let them drag you down."

Kallian laughed. "I won't, father, don't worry."

He left the office, alongside his father. He had to go find the others now.

"They are likely in the guest rooms," his father said, answering his silent question. "You may stay in your old room, if you wish to, or rest with your friends."

Kallian nodded. He hadn't decided what he would do yet, but a visit back to his old room might help him clear his mind. He ran into Shulk in the guest rooms. The others had gone into town to get some supplies or just to be outside of the palace.

He lead the way to his old rooms, wanting to see if anything had changed. Nothing had, unsurprisingly. The royal bedrooms barely ever changed appearances, aside maybe from the bed covers in the colder season.

"So you grew up here?" Shulk asked, looking around the lavish room.

"Yes, most of my childhood was spent in these chambers and the rest of the palace," Kallian replied.

Shulk thought that was a little sad, but he didn't say as much out loud. He couldn't imagine not being able to run outside and play with friends. Had Kallian even had friends his age? Probably best not to ask too many questions.

He wandered some more, and ended up on the balcony. He could see almost all of Eryth Sea from there. This wasn't a view he could complain about.

Kallian joined him and joined against the railing of the balcony. "I've told you about my mother before, haven't I?"

"Yeah," Shulk said. "She tried to have Melia assassinated, right?"

Kallian nodded. "She'll be executed soon."

Shulk didn't reply, didn't know how.

"She doesn't know I'm alive, and I'm not sure if I want to see her. I don't know if I should."

"Well," Shulk told him. "I don't know much about the whole situation, but I know it bothers you. If it'll help, I think you should talk to her. Get everything off of your chest before it's too late."

Kallian fell silent, but Shulk was right. He had to speak with Yumea.

"I'll come with you, if you want," Shulk said.

"No, it's something I have to do on my own, but would you walk with me there?" he asked. "I fear if I go alone, I'll just freeze up and turn around. With you there, I think I'll have the courage to face her."

Shulk placed a hand on top of Kallian's and looked his friend in the eyes. "I'll be right there with you."

"Let's go before all of my resolve leaves me," Kallian declared.

Kallian was tense on the way to the tower of Investigation. He knew he had to do this for his own peace of mind, and he just wanted to get it over with.

The guards let him through, and now he was standing in front of the door, behind which was his mother.

"Do you want me to come in with you or stay outside?" Shulk asked.

"You can wait for me here, I don't want to have to explain your presence on top of everything."

Shulk nodded. "Good luck in there."

Kallian took a deep breath and the door slid open.

The guards wordlessly let him into her "cell", which was really just a recreation of her chambers with bars at the windows and no balcony. She even had a handmaid, who slipped past him, which was a smart move on her part.

At the sound of the door opening, Yumea turned. There was a moment before there was a flash of recognition in her eyes. Her eyes went wide and a fake smile appeared on her face.

"Kallian, my dear son, what happened to you?" her voice was sickeningly sweet.

"I was turned into a mechon after my death, as I'm sure you've heard." He put no kindness or worry in his words.

"Did you know they didn't let me attend my own son's funeral? How outrageous!" She sounded so offended, it took everything in him not to snicker.

"The people would've rioted." He tried not to let too much of his hatred for her slip into his tone, but by the look on her face, it wasn't working that well. "To have the one who ordered the Princess' murder at the Prince's funeral? They would have killed you on the spot, Empress or no."

A silence full of shock and hatred fell over the room.

"My son." She sounded… desperate. "You still love your dear mother, don't you?"

"You know the answer to that." He snarled. "You lost the right to call me "son" when you tried to kill my sister."

She snarled as well. "That filthy half-breed would be a poor ruler compared to you!"

He took a deep breath. He couldn't lose his temper. He couldn't lower himself to her level.

"I gave Father my blessing." He replied calmly. "I wanted Melia to be Empress. It was all for the better in the end, considering what happened to me."

"But you're back now! You're alive!" she exclaimed.

For a moment, he thought that maybe she did care about him.

"You can take the crown back!"

...And it was gone.

"I do not care about the crown, _Mother_." He spat out her "title". "Unlike you, I care about what's best for the people, not myself."

Her brows furrowed and her face twisted in anger. "Do you have any idea how much I sacrificed so you would have the best? You may not love me son, but I love you! Everything I ever did, it was for you! How dare you treat me like that?"

It took every fiber of his being to not scream. "For me?" He laughed. "You tried to kill Melia, the best thing to have ever happened to me in this lonely place, for me?"

He would never forget the look of shock and betrayal on her face.

He continued. "You say you love me, but do you love me as a son? Or as a pawn? Did you ever see me as anything other than a way to get a better status? After all, you were nothing more than a consort until I was born."

He recognised the look that crossed her face. Fury.

"You dare!" She stood and slammed her hand down onto her vanity, rattling it. "You dare question your mother? Your empress? I raised you! I raised you to be an Emperor! To be the ruler of the High Entia! So that you may become the best Antiqua to have ever lived!"

"You didn't raise me, Mother." He could feel all the hatred he held for her, that he'd been bottling up, come spilling right out. "The only thing you ever taught me was that Homs were disgusting and didn't deserve to breathe the same air we did. Everything else I learnt from Father, Cathalina and the servants. You call yourself my mother, yet you did nothing. Lady Cathalina, the Second Consort, was more of a mother to me than you ever were."

She looked like she might punch him. He knew she wasn't above hitting her children. Would this have happened 70 years ago, he would've flinched, made himself smaller and dropped the subject. Today, he stood his ground. He wouldn't allow her to control him any longer.

She seemed to have realised that he wasn't the boy he'd once been. That she'd lost her most precious pawn.

She straightened and got her composure back. "Fine." She said. "Fine, then. Are you done?"

He could tell her she was to be executed. He could tell her that her days were numbered.

He knew that if he did, she would beg. Beg him to change her sentence, since, as Prince, he had the power to. He didn't want to change her sentence. She didn't deserve to spend the rest of her days in comfort. To die a peaceful death.

"I am done," he told her. For the first time in his life, he was the one looking down on her. "Goodbye, Yumea."

He turned and closed the door behind him, not looking back. He heard her let out a scream, but ignored it. He was glad to see the guards were, too.

His mother was out of his life now.

It felt like a massive weight had been lifted from his shoulders.


	42. 42- To Mechonis

Kallian walked back to his chambers, Shulk following quietly a few paces behind. They hadn't said a word since Kallian had gotten back.

"Are you alright?" Shulk asked once the door had closed behind them.

"I haven't felt this good in awhile, actually," Kallian replied, smiling. "I really needed to do that."

"Good to hear."

They sat on Kallian's old bed. The sun was starting to wane, orange light filtering in through the balcony. They quietly watched the sun as it disappeared and darkness fell over the world.

Shulk couldn't look away from the waning sun, and Kallian couldn't look away from Shulk. They should probably head back to the others soon, but neither moved.

"What are you going to do once all of this is over?" Shulk asked suddenly.

"I don't know," Kallian replied after a moment. "I never thought I'd even go back to my family, let alone be back in Alcamoth."

Shulk hummed as an answer.

"What about you?" Kallian asked.

Shulk shrugged. "I make weapons for a living; it's all I've ever known. I don't know what I'd do in peacetime. Even when we thought we defeated the Mechon, my work never stopped. I'm not sure if I want to continue down that path."

"Well, you might be able to use that brain of yours to invent stuff, to make life easier for people," Kallian replied.

Shulk smiled. "That does sound like a good idea."

What seemed to be years ago, Kallian had promised Vanea that he'd watch over Shulk and make sure he didn't do anything too stupid. He'd just been following those orders at first and he'd quickly become friends with him. Though he knew it would happen sooner or later, when all of this was over, they'd go their separate ways. They had vastly different lives before this, and they would after.

It was death that had brought them together, and life would tear them apart.

He hoped then when this was over, Shulk would still want to have him around.

If they survived.

"We should probably head back to the others," Shulk said, oblivious to what Kallian was thinking. "They're probably wondering where we are."

Kallian agreed. They had to start planning their movements in the Mechonis. At least, that's what they'd planned to do until they got to where the others were and saw they were in the middle of a very tense card game.

Shulk and Kallian shrugged, joining the game. The planning could wait.

0o0

Kallian ended up sleeping in the guest rooms and sharing a bed with Shulk, like they'd done in the first days of knowing each other. He simply couldn't bring himself to sleep in his old chambers. He didn't feel like he belonged there anymore.

He woke up while Shulk was still sleeping and quietly left the bed.

He hadn't slept that well in quite a while. The only other one awake was Anson, reading a book on one of the couches. "Good morning," he said.

"Good morning," Kallian replied.

The two didn't say anything else. Kalian had never really had the chance to speak with Shulk's father, and now that he did, he was at a loss for words.

Before he could say anything, Sharla strolled into the room, yawning and stretching.

The only plan for today was to make a route through Mechonis, which only he, Shulk and Gadolt could work on. As such, the others had another few days of freedom. They'd work on getting enough supplies for all them, since the village wouldn't have that many to spare.

He was glad no one had mentioned the village since they'd left. He wanted as little people as possible to know about it. Who knows what might happen if too many people knew a Machina village existed? He didn't want to find out.

Once everyone was awake and breakfast had been served, they talked about their plans for the day. Dunban wanted to stay with the three. His experience allowed him to know just how much their group could travel in a day, and try to find ideal spots to make camp by using the map Shulk had started drawing. He was the best artist of the three, and for some reason, he seemed to have the clearest image of the inside of Mechonis.

"We can enter Mechonis Field from the Fallen Arm," Gadolt said. "The way is locked by a bulkhead, but Miqol still has the key. We could always fly over it otherwise, but I'd rather we just be able to walk through. From the field, we can reach the factory. That's likely where we'll have the most resistance. In the factory, there's a transporter to Agniratha. Egil will be there."

"And Otharon?" Dunban asked.

"I don't know," Gadolt said. "Chances are, he's in the factory. Since Galahad Fortress is destroyed, Egil will have most of his defences there to protect himself. We'll only know when we get there."

Dunban nodded.

The rest of the afternoon passed with them going over the map a few dozen times. It was as accurate as Shulk could get without dragging the internal image he had of the inside of the Mechonis on paper.

He made a few copies of it, so the Bionis Alliance could also use it when they invaded. He'd also made a map of Sword Valley and Galahad Fortress so they could accurately plan their movements.

They only stopped once supper was ready and served.

"Will you be bringing Ruby, Jade and Pearl?" Fiora asked.

The three exchanged looks.

"We haven't decided yet," Kallian said for all of them, "but the likely answer is no."

"Why?" Reyn asked. "You three could kick some serious ass with them."

"Well, yes, we can do a lot of damage really quickly," Shulk replied, "but just one, let alone three, is easy to spot and we'd be walking targets. We want to avoid attention to ourselves, not become bullseyes for the Mechon."

Reyn nodded. "That's a valid point."

"It's a bit of a shame," Sharla said. "I was looking forward to fighting by their sides."

Gadolt laughed. "We can always fight with them when we're around the village, but once we're inside the Mechonis, we'll be leaving them behind."

It made sense. They didn't want to be spotted too easily; they'd never make it to Agniratha otherwise.

"I don't know for the others, but I'm going to have Ruby on call in case things get hairy and we need a quick exit," Shulk said.

The other two agreed with that idea. A quick exit might be necessary, and as long as their units were in tip top shape, they could make it up to them in minutes. It was reassuring to know they had something to fall back to should things go to shit, but they hoped they wouldn't have to.

They continued to plan over the next few days, planning out an effective route. Melia had joined the planning, since she would be coming with them. Kallian had objected, not wanting to put her in danger, but he knew better than to argue with her when she had that look on her face.

Even their father had initially wanted to object. He didn't want to risk Melia's life, but he knew she would be safe with everyone. Kallian would keep her safe.

They would be leaving in just a few more days, get last second preparations ready in the village, then head out for Mechonis Field.

They spent most of their time training, making sure they could fight efficiently as a unit. Fiora was still getting used to the new power of the Monado. Zanza had unlocked some hidden powers other than being able to hurt Homs. The shield and speed boosts Fiora gave to the others were stronger and lasted longer. She could protect the others better and provide more support.

Kallian was getting used to fighting on foot, since aside from a few training sessions with Gadolt and Shulk, he'd done most of his fighting inside of Pearl. He'd only ever used a sword before, so he often forgot he had a gun at his side. Sharla had taken up the habit of yelling "gun!" when he was in a good position to use it. He eventually got the hang of it, now seamlessly switching between the two weapons depending on the situation.

After three days of intense training and war meetings, they were ready. The Bionis Alliance would be advancing on Galahad Fortress while a covert group would be infiltrating the Mechonis itself. Attacking the Mechon from two different fronts would weaken them, and as such, give them higher chances of succeeding.

This was their chance of getting rid of the Mechon once and for all. It would take two weeks, give or take a few days, to get to Agniratha, assuming they didn't run into any trouble and had to retreat.

Alvis had offered the divining ritual, but Sorean had refused. They would decide their own fate. Alvis would come along in leading the troops. Hopefully if something terrible were about to happen, he would see it and be able to warn everyone.

Anson and Elinor would be staying behind, helping with the preparations of the army.

They were leaving for the Fallen Arm at dawn, likely arriving around noon. They'd then head out for Mechonis Field the following morning.

They arrived on time, using the little time they had to rest.

Surprisingly enough, they all managed to get a decent night's sleep. After receiving the key to the bulkhead and a wish of luck from Miqol, they headed out.


End file.
